


A Second Chance

by dianesmalone



Category: Cheers
Genre: Angst, Completed, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Mutual Pining, like a lot of pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:20:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 38,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22073899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dianesmalone/pseuds/dianesmalone
Summary: After months since her breakup with Sam, Diane returns to Cheers. Upon her return she is met with an unexpected surprise which leads to a chain of rewarding and challenging events.
Relationships: Diane Chambers/Frasier Crane, Diane Chambers/Sam Malone
Comments: 2
Kudos: 23





	1. Chapter 1

Standing in front of the full length mirror in her bedroom, Diane adjusts her red dress as the words from her beloved friend, Coach, ring through her mind. 

“Sam’s boozing again” the voice of a hopeless Coach stuck in her mind since he came to see her. Sam was drinking again. How long after their breakup did he wait to turn back to drinking? She knew it was the breakup that sent him there, that broke her heart. 

Their relationship toward the end had grown very unhealthy. Of course she still loved him, she never stopped but it came to a point where he was making her cry more than he made her smile. The way they fought before she left the bar four months ago had left a mark on her heart. It wasn’t that they had never fought before, of course they had, it was them for crying out loud. That fight in particular though hurt more than any other ever could and knowing in that moment that she was losing the one person who mattered to her more than anything in the world was a real blow to the chest. 

All good things must come to an end though right? After spending some time in Goldenbrook, with the help of a therapist and group therapy, Diane had allowed herself to begin to move on. She loved him but knew it was different that it used to be, or at least that was what she was convincing herself to believe. With some time in Goldenbrook Diane had met an incredibly lovely and witty man just as herself. He was a psychiatrist and though he wasn’t her psychiatrist, once they began going steady he did give her advice from time to time. Frasier Crane is possibly the most thoughtful man she’s ever met, they had been dating for a couple of months now and she could tell they were getting a little serious. No big moves were being made or anything but they were becoming closer and maybe in another couple of months they’d be taking the next step. 

She also knew that Frasier was the key to helping Sam kick the drinking again before it consumed him just as it had during us baseball days. It was crazy for her to want to go back to Cheers, she swore she would never return. Knowing that Sam was drinking because of their breakup though, hurt her beyond words. That was one of the only reasons she was coming back. Coach was the second reason. He had seemed so devastated when coming to visit her and she couldn’t stand it. Coach was kindest soul out there and seeing him sad was not something she could sit back and watch. 

“Okay Diane, let’s go help out the people you care about,” she says as she looks in the mirror before turning away and stepping out of her bedroom.

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“Oh, Sam, could I take off early tonight? I have a doctor’s appointment in about an hour and I really haven’t been feeling all too well lately” Diane asks as she sets down her tray and places empty glasses down on the bar. 

It had been about two weeks since she returned to Cheers. Not only had she come back into the bar, she was working there again too. She felt that it was best to keep an eye on Sam for herself and be sure that he was improving. He was improving with time, his drinking hasn’t completely stopped but he was on the road to recovery which was what really mattered. Working behind the bar again was the biggest test to see his self control and so far, he was doing well.

Diane couldn’t lie, watching over Sam wasn’t the only reason she took the job when he offered. If she was completely honest, she needed the money. Maybe she wouldn’t admit it when she took the job again but it was the other major reason why she permanently came back. Strangely enough, Diane really couldn’t imagine herself working anywhere besides Cheers.

“Not feeling well? You’re not sick are you?” he returns.

“I don’t know, that’s what the doctor’s appointment is for silly” she points out.

Sam shakes his head at that, “alright go on, we’ll be fine without you but if you’re sick, I’d prefer you not to come in tomorrow.”

Diane begins to untie her apron, “don’t worry if I’m sick, you'll be the first person I call” she teases. 

“Oh goodie I’ll be eagerly waiting by my phone for your call” he gives the banter right back.

She smiles a little and rolls her eyes, setting down her apron on top of her tray. “I’ll call you sometime later tonight and let you know the verdict. Thank you for letting me go early.” Diane turns away from the bar and heads over toward the door, was she ever ready to figure out what was making her feel so bad. 

Out of nowhere a couple of days ago, she started feeling sick. She had thrown up a few times but each time she checked her temperature she seemed fine so she continued to come to work. Though it was becoming increasingly hard to enjoy a romantic dinner with Frasier when she would nearly vomit at the smell of what he was cooking. It wasn’t his fault, she had to be coming down with something. Maybe it was stress just masking itself as sickness. Maybe she was sick, maybe it was just a cold and she wasn’t recognizing the symptoms. Whatever it was, Diane had decided to just leave it up to her doctor to determine. She just hoped it would go away within a few days so she could get back into the swing of things again. 

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Sitting in the waiting room of her doctor’s office, Diane feels her stomach flip. Great, nausea has chosen the perfect moment to settle in. Now of all times her stomach had to do a complete 180 and make her feel like she was going to be seeing her lunch in a few minutes. 

Before she even realizes it, Diane was running to the bathroom that was just down the hall from the waiting room. She runs right into the one seater bathroom and does just what she didn’t want to do right now, throws up her lunch. It was a good thing that she was at a doctors office but she was hoping her stomach would keep itself together while she waited to get in. Apparently her body had other plans for her. Sighing, Diane washes her hands after flushing and pulling herself off the ground. She really hoped that she wasn’t coming down with the flu. That was the last thing she wanted. A cold? She could handle. Stress? She could also handles. The flu? That would keep her home for who knew how long and spending her days sick in bed wasn’t what she wanted to do. 

Once she finally pulls herself out of the bathroom and back into the waiting room, Diane takes a seat back down in a chair and closes her eyes. Whatever this was, she wanted it to be gone. Being sick was awful and though she did enjoy being taken care of by Frasier when he would visit, it wasn’t worth the throwing up nor the pain she felt. That was another thing, along with throwing up and having aversions to certain foods, she had been stuck with off and on headaches since this sickness started. Not to mention, she was beyond exhausted. Usually she was tired but that was something she had learned how to manage. The past couple of days though her fatigue had skyrocketed and she found herself falling asleep much earlier than usual.

This had to be some cold, there was nothing else that came to mind when Diane thought of these symptoms. Maybe the doctor would check out her symptoms, give her some medicine, and she’d be on her way. She’d take tomorrow off and hopefully sleep off this sickness. 

Hearing the door creak open ten minutes later, Diane looks up from her book that she had brought along to read while waiting for the doctor to return with the results of her blood test. She wasn’t sure if she’d be having blood taken but it was always good to have a book in her purse just in case she was caught where she needed to keep herself entertained for a period longer than ten minutes. 

“So what’s the verdict? Is it the flu?” she questions as she slides her book back into her purse. 

The doctor looks over her clipboard once again and shakes her head, “actually, I believe congratulations are in order.”

Confusion strikes her face as Diane furrows her brows, “Congratulations? As in, congratulations you’re not coming down with the flu, it’s just stress and a mix of a common cold?” What else could there be? It had to be one of the two or both like she had suggested. 

“Congratulations as in you’re going to be a mother. You’re a little over two months pregnant, ten weeks to be exact.”

Time seems to come to a screeching halt when her doctor congratulates her on becoming a mother. Pregnant? No, no no no she couldn’t be pregnant. Every time she had sex she ensured her partner wore protection. She had been on birth control since she was eighteen, not for sexual reasons, for hormonal reasons, but still. Ever since she had become sexually active Diane did everything possible to be sure that she didn’t end up pregnant unless she was ready for it. Her relationship wasn’t anywhere near the point of children, she was still getting to really know Frasier. 

As her mind spins and her thoughts move around her head at a million miles a second, one smacks her dead on. Yes, she had Frasier had dove into their own intimacy but they had only slept together a couple of times so far. Their first time wasn’t even two months ago, let alone ten weeks. 

Before she can even begin to come up with who the father was the doctor speaks again, “I can see that this has left you speechless. I’ll let you be, give us a call if you’d like a referral for an OBGYN” the doctor then steps over toward the door and Diane thanks her before watching her walk out.

Pregnant, she was pregnant. Carrying a child, carrying a life inside of her. Diane was terrified and yet at the same time there was a small feeling of excitement. She was bringing life into this world, her and another person she couldn’t think of at the moment had created this life that would soon be by her side. She had an unconditional love that was beginning to form. While she was absolutely terrified of everything that goes with pregnancy, that little bit of excitement brought her some ease. 

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“Diane are you feeling alright? You seem somewhat off tonight” Frasier says from the other side of the table. The two were enjoying a dinner together at their favorite french restaurant in downtown Boston. 

She places down her glass of water, having to turn down his offer of wine when it was offered. That surprised him but for some reason he didn’t question it. That was more than a relief for her. “Oh, it’s nothing of concern I might be coming down with a cold, that’s all. The doctor gave me some medicine when I went earlier. 

“You should’ve said something, I would’ve cancelled the evening” he insists. 

Shaking her head, Diane responds, “no no I’m fine really but maybe it is best we bring this evening to an early end. I do have a lot on my plate tomorrow and rest might actually be the best option...”

That wasn’t a total lie, she wasn’t feeling her best. Her stomach was beginning to cramp, the headache that had been off and on for days now had returned, and she was still exhausted. Pregnancy did explain all of those symptoms, especially the vomiting and aversion to some foods. The thought of pregnancy had never crossed her mind. What worried her the most was lying to Frasier, she couldn’t tell him. At least, not until she figured out who the father was and told him. Even then would she be able to tell her new boyfriend that some other man had gotten her pregnant? How was he supposed to handle that? It would ruin their relationship. 

Frasier nods and requests the check from their waiter as he stops back by. It wasn’t long before it had been paid and the two were out of the restaurant, Frasier driving Diane back to her apartment in no time.

Upon arrival to her apartment, he asks if she wanted him to stay but she denies. Claiming that she didn’t want to get him sick as well, that it was best she tried to sleep it off, and that she’d give him a call sometime tomorrow to let him know how she was feeling. She needed the night by herself to process everything that had happened anyhow, having Frasier by her side all evening wouldn’t help that. 

It takes Diane about ten to fifteen minutes to fully get settled down in her bed after coming into her apartment and she lets out a sigh. What an absolute whirlwind the day had been so far, from thinking she was sick with the flu to finding out that no she wasn’t sick, she was actually pregnant. No longer was it just her anymore, she was carrying a baby that would be with her for the rest of her life. It was daunting and comforting all at once, she had always wanted to be a mother someday but she had never expected the day to come so soon and so suddenly. The world had a way of working mysteriously, having things unravel at random and sometimes those things being the greatest to ever happen to someone. She had a feeling maybe just maybe that was happening for her. Having a life that was partially made of her and having that unbreakable bond was going to change her life and whether it made one change or several, one thing she knew was that it was for the better. 

While her thoughts carry onward of her future and how everything was going to change, the telephone on her bedside table next to her begins to ring. Maybe it was Frasier letting her know that he had made it home alright, he had a habit of doing that sometimes.

“Hello?” Diane greets.

“Hi Diane, I was just calling to check in on you. I hadn’t heard back on how you were doing after your doctor’s visit and if you’re coming in tomorrow” Sam’s voice comes through from the other side of the phone.

Just light that, another realization slams her in the face. The only person she had slept with in the past two months besides Frasier was Sam. They had broken up four months ago and before going to Goldenbrook, Diane had shown up at Sam’s apartment both in a moment of weakness and to return a few of his things. Another moment of weakness had overcome her and him as well, they fell into each other’s arms, unable to resist the urges and both still in love. Not only had they had given into the temptation of each other, they had made love without any sort of protection. Birth control wasn’t one hundred percent effective either, so here she was, pregnant with his child.

“Diane?” he says, pulling her out of her realization and back into the moment. He was still waiting to hear if she’d be in tomorrow and if she was alright.

“Oh… yeah, I’m okay. The doctor said I’m probably coming down with a common cold and that stress has just made it worse so I should rest. I won’t be in tomorrow but as soon as I’m better, you’ll see this face bright and chipper again” she lies.

Sam chuckles, “I’ll be on the edge of my seat until then. I hope you feel better, let me know if you need anything.”

That brings a small smile to her face, hearing that he cared about her wellbeing at all meant a lot to her. Especially after their breakup and how terrible things had become toward the end. The only other time she had seen that big heart of his besides when she returned was the night they had succumbed to their weaknesses. It had been a night full of love and passion that brought her right back to what may have been the prime of their relationship. The spark had never died. 

“Thank you Sam, see you soon, goodnight.”

He replies with a goodnight as well before hanging up the phone. Placing down her phone and settling back into bed, Diane’s mood shifts after the realization she had pops back into her mind. The worry had returned and was now her mind was focused on that solely. What was she going to tell Sam? “Hey, by the way, do you remember that time we made love after we broke up? Yeah, well, now I’m pregnant with your child and you’re going to be a daddy. Congratulations!” There wasn’t any great way to tell him, they weren’t together, they weren’t planning on kids, it all just happened. Now she was even more glad that he called, she was going to use the entirety of tomorrow planning out ways to tell him about this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! First off, happy new year! I hope the new year and new decade treats you all well. I’m so very excited to be writing this fic and I hope you all enjoy it.
> 
> I usually don’t mess what’s canon for these two, but my friend Kaysi (shoutout to her ily) brought back a tweet of hers that was about the writers wanting to write in Shelley’s pregnancy as Frasier’s kid so I decided to take that and change it to Sam’s kid instead. I made a little bit of change to the timeline as well so Diane was gone for four months instead of six. With that being said though, a lot of what happens in season three is still canon like Diane is with Frasier, Sam is working on sobriety again, and other points I may mention in later chapters.
> 
> With all of that being said I owe a thank you to my friend Mayee for helping me with this as she always does. Also, thank you to all of you for reading this chapter. Feel free to leave a kudos or feedback if you’d like!


	2. Chapter 2

Walking down the aisle of the department store near her apartment, Diane looks around at all of baby related items before her. She had decided that staying in her apartment all day thinking about how she was going to tell Sam about her pregnancy would only drive her mad. It was only best for her to get out of there, even if it was only for a little bit of time. The aisle was filled from end to end with an array of items: diapers, baby food, bottles, breast pumps, baby wipes, and so much more. This was only the first aisle of items she needed to buy for her child, there was also an entire section dedicated to just clothing for babies and toddlers. All of it was quite intimidating to her, where did she even begin? Obviously she needed the essentials but what other items did she need and what was a waste of money? 

“First time?” a woman’s voice comes from her left as Diane continues to stare at one side of the aisle before her, letting the intimidation settle in.

Glancing over she’s greeted by a red haired woman with a prominent belly, her cart full of diapers and other baby items. Diane nods, “yeah… I, well, I don’t know exactly what I need as of now, if anything.”

The woman glances down at Diane’s stomach which was still flat. She then looks back up at her, “I see you’re not too far along. Let’s get you started in a different aisle, you don’t necessarily need to buy everything right away” the woman then begins to guide her a few aisles down where different books were lined up for pregnancy. “I recommend the basic one there,” she says pointing to a bright blue book in front of them titled _What to Expect When You’re Expecting_. “It’ll inform you about the changes that happen to most women’s bodies during pregnancy and what options you have for birth, stuff like that. Now I would also recommend the second books discussing what you should be expecting with a newborn but I would start there.”

Diane nods and grabs a copy of the book in front of them, that wouldn’t be a problem she was an avid reader as is and definitely wanted to know what would be happening with her body for the next seven months. Holding the book in one hand, she turns back to the helpful stranger “thank you…” she trails off not knowing the woman’s name.

“Mayee and no need to thank me, I just wanted to help a first time mom. I know what it’s like to be scared out of your mind not knowing what’s going to happen in a matter of months.”

“Well, thank you anyways. I feel better now that I’ve got a place to start,” Diane thanks again. 

Before the two part, Mayee writes down her number on a piece of paper saying that if she needed any other help to give a ring sometime. Feeling extremely grateful, she thanks her a final time before walking away. Mayee had no idea how much it meant to her that she had stepped forward to help. While part of her was absolutely excited to be a mother, the other part was scared and worried out of her mind. A stranger stepping out of their way to help and give advice definitely eased her worries even just the tiniest bit. 

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After returning to her apartment twenty minutes later, Diane puts away the groceries she bought while out. Once that is complete, she gives her ob-gyn a call and sets up her first appointment for about a month from now. It was a routine checkup to see how she was doing and of course to see how the baby was doing. It takes her a bit of time, but eventually she settles down on the couch with a snack which consisted of yogurt with fruit mixed in. Thankfully her pregnancy cravings hadn’t completely started in yet, although she had a few weird cravings a few days ago before she even knew she was pregnant but she never fulfilled them assuming that it was something to do with being sick. 

With yogurt in one hand, Diane grabs hold of the book she had purchased earlier in the day that would tell her everything or at least close to everything she needed to know about pregnancy. Hopefully the book would give her tips on how to handle the different side effects of pregnancy, especially the one that had been hitting her the hardest so far— morning sickness. She has been up at around three this morning throwing up and had thrown up yet again at around five. Diane was only ten weeks along but the morning sickness already felt like it was at full force. She could only hope that it would dissipate as the months went on because so far that was what she despised the most. 

Her focus on the book becomes less and less as her mind begins to wander again. Of course, it goes right back to Sam. Thinking about how she was going to tell him, how he was going to react, and would he even want to be part of their child’s life? Sam was still very much living the life of a bachelor, in fact he had brought in a woman just the other night before taking her off to what Diane assumed to be his place. She wasn’t asking him to give that up completely, but things would have to change it he wanted to actively be with their child. They could share custody, however she did not want woman after woman around her baby. That was something that was not happening. A conversation about that would have to happen at a different time. She was much more concerned about telling him the news first because if it didn’t go well then she wouldn’t even try to bring up a conversation of custody. Diane had no plans to ask for help in the first place, if he wanted shared custody that was fine with her but as for everything else, she was more than prepared to handle it on her own.

Of course it would be nice to have someone, specifically Sam since he was the father of her child, by her side through all of this but the chances of that happening didn’t seem very high. It wasn’t that she necessarily wanted him to be by her side romantically, but as her friend and the father. Maybe it could happen, maybe she wasn’t giving him enough credit. Who knew, their conversation could go completely opposite of how she was thinking.

Her mind wanders off of Sam for a moment and lands on another issue, one she wasn’t even ready to begin to find a solution for: Frasier. Did she adore him? Yes of course. Frasier has been a nearly perfect boyfriend in absolutely every aspect. She hated to think that she was going to break his heart with the news of this baby. He was a sweet man, he’d understand but would he be able to accept that the child wasn’t his? Most likely not. Not to mention, he already had an insecurity about her relationship with Sam and Sam in general. He swore that Sam was still in love with her and took note whenever he felt that she spent “too much time” with him. Whatever that was supposed to mean. After all, Diane considered Sam her closest friend even after their horrible break up.

The two were definitely still trying to rebuild their relationship but she still trusted him with her life. Sure, things at the end weren’t favorable yet it didn’t change the fact that they had spent a year together as a couple and two years all together building their relationship. They were already friends when they became a couple and once they spent a whole year learning more about another not only intimately but just who each other was as a person, they build a bond that wasn’t going to disappear from one bad break up. 

Sighing, Diane pushes the book aside for now and goes to throw away her empty yogurt container. Just after, she walks into her bedroom and approaches her bed. Maybe a long nap where she wouldn’t have to think about what the future was going to hold would make her feel better. 

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Staring at the apartment door before her, Diane takes a deep breath before knocking. It had been awhile since she stood in front of this door, well awhile as in two months ago. Not coming here every other night when they would switch between her place and his along with standing outside of his apartment not expecting a romantic evening ahead felt strange. Even though it had been months since their breakup not counting the one weak moment, Diane still wasn’t used to not being here for a majority of the time. While dating they had practically lived together, only spending one to two days out of the week by themselves. Maybe for a night or two they would stay at her apartment and then the next they would switch over to his, it became so routine that there were times especially right after the breakup that Diane would find herself driving in the direction of his apartment and not her own. She hated herself for still not being used to all of this. After all, she was dating another man.

The second Sam swings the apartment door open her heart takes off as if it was doing a marathon and to be the first one to cross the finish line. Her stomach joins in except it decides instead to be an olympic gymnast, doing flip after flip. “Hi…” she manages to utter softly. 

A look of surprise was painted across Sam’s face, it was late and he had just arrived home from Cheers. Besides he thought Diane was sick so she was the last person he expected at his door. “Hi sweetheart.”

For a brief moment she feels warmth in her chest from him calling her sweetheart. It wasn’t as if he didn’t call every woman that but still, anytime he said it to her it felt different. That moment quickly fades away as she pushes any feelings all the way down, “are you alone?”

His brow raises at that, “come back for more of the Sammy soufflé have you?”

She purses her lips at that and gives him a slight glare, “Sam… you know very well I’m with another man.”

“Ah right, right, how is the quack?” he pesters, knowing that it would get under her skin. 

Diane shakes her head, “Frasier Crane is not a quack and he’s doing quite well actually.”

“Right… well, come on in,” he offers and steps back, opening the door wider for her. 

Accepting his offer, Diane steps into his apartment and takes a moment to look around. Nothing had changed, not that she expected him to make some enormous renovations but nonetheless seeing the apartment again just opened the floodgates of memories. The nights they spent curled up on his couch together watching movies, sometimes they’d actually pay attention and Diane would end up falling asleep on him but other times the movie was just background noise while they made out. All of the times they had played around with each other came back too, like the time when they decided to make cupcakes together and it ended up turning into Sam chasing Diane around the small apartment to pay her back for throwing flour at him. A vast majority of the memories were happy and so full of love. Remembering them only made her heart ache and crave for what they had lost. 

The memories cut short when Sam speaks again, “can I get you something to drink?”

She shakes her head and approaches his couch, “No I’m fine, thank you. I came to talk to you and I’d rather get right to it.”

He nods and walks over to the couch as well, both sitting on opposite ends and both trying to keep their distance. “So what brings you by so late? I wasn’t expecting you, I figured you’d be in bed.” Now that he actually took a good look at her, she didn’t seem nor sound sick at all. That was strange, Diane wasn’t one to lie. 

“Do you remember the night I came by two months ago to return a few of your things?”

The memories flash through his mind at the mention of course he remembered. That night was unforgettable and if she wasn’t dating Frasier he fully believed they would be back together already. Unfortunately, that wasn’t how things went and now here they were denying their feelings as usual. “Yeah, I do.”

She lets out a slow breath, “well… uh,” her words come to a stop as she’s about to tell him. Her nerves had settled in and she was afraid of what he was going to say. She wouldn’t know what to do if he was upset about the news. 

“Wait,” Sam begins as his brain starts to scan every reason why she would possibly be bringing up that night again. “Are you…?” he trails off, unsure if he should finish his sentence. 

“Ten weeks” Diane says in a softer tone and looks down at the ground, she didn’t even have to say the words “I’m pregnant”, he had figured it out. At least in some ways it took off the edge a little but regardless it was life-changing news. 

The room goes quiet in an instant and all of Sam’s thoughts come to a screeching halt as he hears Diane say she was ten weeks pregnant. He couldn’t believe it, pregnant? Their one moment of weakness lead to both of their lives being changed forever. He wasn’t sure how to feel because this was the last news he would’ve ever expected to receive. 

The silent tears at her heart, she knew he was processing something as shocking as this announcement but either way she felt her chest strike with pain. What if he hated her now? Blamed her for all of it? Sam wasn’t the type to do that but that didn’t stop her mind from doing what it did best and running into overdrive.

Diane watches as Sam gets up from the couch and begins to walk toward his kitchen. Before he reaches it she speaks, “you’re upset…” 

“I’m not upset…” he mutters, stopping in his tracks just before reaching the kitchen.

She gets off the couch and approaches him, “then why haven’t you said anything? Anything at all?”

Tension was beginning to form between the two and if they weren’t careful it would only spiral from there. 

“What do you expect me to say in the two minutes I’ve had to process, Diane?” he grumbles, annoyance was beginning to form within him.

Sam acting this way only made her own annoyance form, beginning to ignore her logic and reasoning and jumping straight into her emotions. “Anything Sam! You don’t just walk away after the woman you spent a year of your life loving tells you she’s pregnant!” Diane snaps. 

“Come on Diane! I’m trying to find a way to process this and you’re acting absolutely ridiculous!” he snaps back, beginning to raise his voice as he becomes more and more upset. 

She steps closer to him, “and you’re an asshole who pushes everyone away!” Diane raises her voice to match his own.

The two step even closer to each other, not realizing they were mere inches apart and in each other’s faces. For a brief moment her anger slips to the side and she feels similar to the way she did before they first kissed. As all of her other thoughts about her romantic feelings toward him did, they quickly are pushed down deep inside of her. Stepping back, Diane shakes her head and turns away from him, “I’m not doing this” she says a lot calmer now. She didn’t want to argue about this, she didn’t come to fight with Sam but to tell him she was pregnant with his child. 

“Where are you going?” his voice comes from behind her as he watches her go for the door.

Reaching the door Diane looks back at Sam and lets out a small sigh, “I didn’t come here to fight with you. I came to tell you that I’m pregnant with your child whether you like it or not. It’s up to you if you want to be apart of its life.” With that, she opens the door and steps out without another word. 

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Staring up at the ceiling, Diane sighs as she lays in her bed an hour after returning home from Sam’s. She tried to distract herself from what had happened at first by making a snack and then taking a shower but now here she was— alone with her thoughts. Now that she wasn’t running on just her emotions and was reflecting on their fight, she could see how silly it was to get mad with Sam over his reaction. The news was shocking and she shouldn’t have expected him to respond with anything quickly. Of course she did wish he would’ve had something to say but it was her fault for not giving him more time. She also felt bad for calling him an asshole who pushes everyone away, it was uncalled for to do that. Now she was unsure how much she had hurt their relationship. Sam was the one person she trusted most and losing him romantically was difficult enough, but if she was going to lose his friendship she didn’t know what she would do. 

Who was she going to go to with her her life issues? Even when they weren’t together she and Sam had come to each other and helped each other through difficult times. Diane to this day hasn’t forgotten when Sam was the only one to step up and not only listen to her but comfort her when her beloved cat, Elizabeth, died. Without him she wouldn’t have gotten through it the way she had. Diane wouldn’t have gotten through a lot of her problems if it weren’t for Sam. 

Sure, Diane had Frasier and without him she probably wouldn’t have made it through her breakup with Sam. He helped her realize what she deserved out of a relationship and a boyfriend. He had been nothing but a complete sweetheart to her and she absolutely adored him. However, she couldn’t help but think of how he wasn’t Sam and was never going to be. Part of her loved him for that and the other hated it. Now with her carrying Sam’s child it was only a matter of time before their relationship would end. Without him and without Sam who would she have? 

With her thoughts racing out of control, Diane feels a few tears prick at her eyes and quickly roll down onto her cheeks. She was scared. Scared of losing her best friend, scared of losing her boyfriend, scared of being a horrible mother to her child. All of it was beginning to on top of each other until she eventually breaks down sobbing. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The ANGST! Believe me we are just getting stared with that hehe. To be serious though, thank you for reading this chapter I hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to leave a kudos or feedback if you’d like <3


	3. Chapter 3

_ Love. It comes in many forms through family, friendships, lovers, even pets. Love is one of the most powerful yet most dangerous things to ever exist. It brings people joy every single day. It takes people out of the dark and into the light, showing them that no matter what they weren’t alone and were bonded with whatever brought them love. However, it also can destroy lives. Being desperately in love with someone who at one point loved you just the same but no longer does, that can tear a person to bits. Sitting with the aching pain of never getting to be with the person one loves the most in the world due to any number of circumstances is gut wrenching. Diane knew this feeling quite well, she felt it nearly everyday since her breakup with Sam. Recovering from something so terrible hasn’t been easy and she still wasn’t quite past it all. She missed him every single day despite the way things ended. She hated herself for loving him and held on to hope that maybe one day, when they were both in a better place, they could be together again.  _

_ Her fingers gently run over the red t-shirt he had left behind after a long night and early morning. She had worn it time and time again while dating and after their breakup, but she knew holding on to it any longer wasn’t right. In order for her to heal she needed to fully move on from their past, which was why she was packing up all of his things that she could find in her apartment. Sam had left a small group of his stuff from what she could find and now she was putting them all together in a box to return to him. Diane wasn’t entirely sure how smart it was to be boxing up his things to take over his apartment because that meant seeing him again for the first time in two months. Then again, maybe seeing him one final time would help her heal and find the closure she had been desperately searching for.  _

_ Once the box is finally filled and sealed off, Diane takes a deep breath and brings it with her over to the door. She takes her time getting ready to leave, thinking in her head about what she was going to say to him over and over again. “Keep it short and simple. Say to him that you just wanted to drop off some things he left at your place and then say goodbye. That’s it. you can do this” she reminds herself. At least, she certainly hoped she could. _

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_ Seeing Sam for the first time in two months left her with an array of emotions. The second he opened the door to his apartment her heart skipped a beat, just the pure sight of him reminded her of the love she still harbored. Yet at the same time she was sad because he looked less of himself as if he hadn’t shaved in weeks and as if most of his self care went out the window. Diane knew it was because of the breakup and it only made the tiny pieces her heart had been shattered into break even further. She hated seeing him like this. Of course one important emotion wasn’t left out of this, she did feel somewhat mad at him. Mad that he had treated her the way he had, how he let the best thing that had ever happened to him leave. Instead of fighting for her he stepped back and watched her walk away. Her emotions were all over the place. _

_ Sam was in the same boat as her, the second his eyes landed on her he almost didn’t believe that she was really there. He dreamt of reuniting with her very often so he nearly thought all of this was another dream. His heart was doing backflip after backflip, he too never stopped loving her even if he wouldn’t admit to it. While Diane did look her usual self, as breathtaking as always, he could tell that she too had a cloud of sadness hanging over her head. Sam hated himself for hurting her the way he had. If there was one person who didn’t deserve any of that, it was her. That being said, he knew he still had a long way to go before they could even think about being a couple again. If that was even a possibility.  _

_ The two stare at each other for longer than two people in a normal interaction would. The small speech Diane had prepared just before leaving and rehearsed all the way here had slipped her mind the second their eyes met. Thankfully, her mind kicks into gear again and she manages to spit out, “I… I came to return some of your things that I found in my apartment…” _

_ It takes Sam a second to say anything but he too finally kicks into gear, “oh yeah… thank you” he grabs hold of the box once she offers and places it off to the side of the door for the time being. Turning back toward her, the two stare at each other again but instead of it lasting what felt like a lifetime, it lasts only a few seconds. Diane clears her throat and gives a small smile, “okay, well, I’ll be seeing you.” _

_ He nods, “right… take care of yourself.” _

_ “You too Sam” she says softly before stepping back from the door and turning down the hall, heading off to the elevator.  _

_ As he watches her start down the hallway, something inside of him flips like a switch and tells him to not let her go. “Diane!” Sam calls out before quickly placing a shoe between the door and the frame so it wouldn’t lock him out. Stepping out of the apartment, Sam rushes over to Diane who was now standing in the middle of the hallway looking back at him with a confused expression. “What is it?” _

_ “You forgot something” he replies as he walks up to her.  _

_ Her confusion only grows at that, certainly there way no way she forgot anything she didn’t even step into the apartment. Maybe she had dropped her keys and didn’t realize? “What?” she questions. _

_ He doesn’t give her much time to think before saying, “this” and pulling her in for a desperate kiss with one hand coming to her waist.  _

_ At first she was shocked by this, but within a matter of moments she melts and wraps her arms around his neck kissing back with the same intensity and desperation.  _

_ Turning them around, Sam guides back into his apartment quickly and makes sure that the door is locked. Before he knew it he was pushed up against it, her hands quickly working to pull his shirt off. There was no point in wasting time, they had been apart for two months and that was long enough.  _

_ With his shirt gone, Diane brings her lips back down on his in a deep and hungry kiss for a few moments and then quickly moves them down to his neck. The room soon fills with with his moans which only spurs her on further, deepening the attention she was giving his neck.  _

_ It wasn’t long before nearly all of their clothes had disappeared and now their lips had once again reunited as he carries her off to his bedroom. Once they reach his bed, Sam carefully lays her down onto the bed and without hesitation, she pulls him down right on top of her. In doing so, the two accidentally knock heads making them both share a laugh.  _

_ “Sorry sweetheart” he chuckles and rubs his hand against his forehead.  _

_ Diane smiles and shakes her head, “it’s alright.” She too gently rubs her forehead and takes a moment to look up at him. She expected that everything inside of her would be telling her no, no this was a bad idea. That she needed to leave and never look back but instead that wasn’t what she felt at all. It felt right and in a way she was the happiest she had been since their breakup. Maybe that was ridiculous but she didn’t care, her heart still yearned for him no matter what.  _

_ “Right, well, where were we?” he questions. _

_ “Hm I think your lips were…” grabbing hold of his cheeks, Diane guides him down to her neck, “here.” She then takes hold of his hands, “and I believe your hands were…” she moves them to her breasts which were still covered by her bra, “here.” _

_ Sam does exactly as she wants and immediately begins kissing on her neck while his hands quickly work to undo her bra. Her moans fill the room almost instantly and after a couple more minutes, she was finally undressed.  _

_ Just after being fully undressed, she brings her hands down to his boxers and pulls them down as far as she can before he does the rest by kicking them off. A hum comes from her, “mm finally” she then guides his lips back to her own in the same passionate kiss, the desperation much stronger than before.  _

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_ At around six in the morning, Diane gently sits down on the open area on Sam’s side of the bed. She was now dressed in the same clothes she had arrived in the previous night. Sam however was still sound asleep and that’s how she wanted it, she wasn’t going to wake him. It was hard enough to do what she was about to do and having him awake to say goodbye would make it that much more difficult. It was a mistake for her to stay any longer than she had. Though Diane didn’t regret anything that had happened last night, she knew it was best to leave it as a final goodbye and not a new beginning. It wasn’t right to start things up again. _

_ A sigh comes from her and she leans forward, running her fingers through his dark locks before pressing a kiss to his forehead. “I love you” she whispers. With that, Diane stands back up and steps away from the bed, quietly exiting the room and exiting his apartment a couple minutes later.  _

_ A few tears stream down her cheeks as she walks toward the elevator. No matter how much she loved him, she knew that it was best for both of them if she left. This of course didn’t stop her from holding on to the hope that maybe one day they would be together again, there was nothing in the world that she could want more.  _

_ It wasn’t until a couple hours later that Sam finally wakes up to a half empty bed. He rubs his eyes and furrows his brows when he doesn’t see Diane laying there next to him. “Diane?” he calls out. When no answer comes, Sam turns over in bed and just as he’s about to get out of it he, he sees a note with his name on it resting on his bedside table. _

_ Still confused, he grabs the note and settles back down onto the bed. Opening the letter, Sam immediately realizes that it was from Diane. He knew her handwriting rather well. He finds the letter to read: _

_ “Sam, _

_ As I’m sitting here writing this, you are curled up next to me still fast asleep. I have to say that you look rather adorable while sleeping and seeing you peaceful makes my heart warm. I know you’re probably curious as to why I’m writing this instead of talking to you. You see, talking would’ve been a lot harder. I didn’t want either of us to have to say goodbye to each other face to face. I suppose in a way that is selfish of me, I’m sorry. It was just too hard to look in your eyes and say goodbye because I know I would’ve lost my composure and began to cry. It’s hard as I write this to not let the tears fall. If I’m honest, I don’t know when… or if we will see each other again. I hope you know that you were the best thing to ever happen to me and there will not be a day that passes where I don’t think of you. I’m sorry that we couldn’t have the life we dreamt of. Parting ways is what’s best for the both of us and I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me for not having the courage to say goodbye face to face. Until we meet again.  _

_ Love always, _

_ Diane” _

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_ The door to Cheers opens and slowly closes behind him. Flipping on the lights, Sam walks over to the empty bar and opens one of the mini fridges that was just below it. Grabbing a bottle of beer, he sets it down in front of his before grabbing the bottle opener. His gaze stays on the bottle for a few moments, remembering the last time he had any alcohol. It had been so long and ruined his life in so many ways. Yet, he was numb to all of it. He no longer cared about ruining his life. What else did he have left to screw up? His baseball career was over, his relationship with his parents was past the point of return, now he had lost his dream girl for the second time in two months. It was a wonder he hadn’t come to alcohol right after their breakup. It had been hard on him and still weighed heavy on his heart, however, this second time around felt like a ten ton weight had fallen right on top of everything else. There was nothing left for him to care about.  _

_ The words in Diane’s letter struck him hard and the ones that hit the worst were when she mentioned how she wasn’t sure if they would ever see each other again and that he was the best thing to ever happen to her. Now it was all gone, she was gone.  _

_ The worst part was probably that he hated himself for falling as hard as he did for her. He had a history of ruining the good things in his life and he should’ve known that this would’ve happened to them. It was plain stupid of him to believe they would last a lifetime like he wanted. Love, love was so stupid. Well never again was he going to let himself be as vulnerable and as in love with someone as he was with her.  _

_ As he begins to feel a few tears trying to escape and stream down his face, he holds back as hard as he can. Sam shakes his head and grabs hold of the bottle opener, finally hearing the soft hiss of the air being let out of the bottle. Within a few seconds, the edge of the bottle meets his lips and he tilts it upward, sending the cool liquid down his throat.  _

_ That bottle certainly wasn’t the last of the night, by an hour later Sam was sitting down on the ground up against the bar at least five bottles deep. Since it had been years since he touched any alcohol, it didn’t take much for him to become drunk. That was a good thing because it meant that his feelings were numbed a lot quicker. That was what mattered to him, numbing all of his pain because it made it much easier to deal with his loss. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well there you have it! The night that Diane and Sam succumbed to their weaknesses which resulted in a baby. We’re only getting started with this and I can’t wait to share all of my ideas with you! Thank you for reading and feel free to leave a kudos or feedback ❤️


	4. Chapter 4

“Hey Coach, have you heard from Diane today? She’s late for her shift” Sam questions as he walks over to the older man.

“Late? Diane? What a surprise!” Carla says sarcastically as she takes the beer Coach has just filled and places it on her tray. 

“Carla give her a break… she’s been goin’ through a lot lately” Sam lightly scolds.

“Yeah? How so? Everyone’s been sick before. Hell, I’ve been sick plenty and come in anyway” she points out. 

Sam sighs and steps back, “just leave it be Carla and let me handle her okay?”

The curly haired brunette shrugs and begins to walk away, “whatever you say boss.”

Turning his attention back to Coach, Sam repeats his question “have you heard anything from Diane?”

“You know now that I think about it, she did call earlier” he mentions causally and begins to walk down to the other end of the bar. 

“And…? What did she say?” Sam questions as he follows.

Coach begins wiping down the bar, “oh something about not feeling well but she should be in tomorrow.”

Damn. He had been hoping that she’d come by today, he needed to get her alone so they could chat and her already being here would’ve made it that much easier. “Thank you Coach.” He sighs as he makes his way out from behind the bar and toward his office. 

If he was honest, he felt bad about the previous night. It was all he could think about since she left. They shouldn’t have fought like they had, it didn’t help the situation. Not to mention, he should’ve had a better reaction. He should’ve said something like she wanted even if he couldn’t process any of it. It was still shocking to Sam that he was going to be a father, none of it felt real in the slightest and yet it was. He remembered the night she came to drop off his things like it was yesterday. Seeing her for the first time in two months after thinking he never would just sent his emotions all over the place. At that point, he was still very much in love with her and unfortunately for him that was still the case.

Even after the letter she had left behind as a goodbye and how it sent him straight back to the bottle, he loved her. It was ridiculous and Sam constantly tried to move on, sleeping with nearly any woman that he could to make his feelings disappear. That never seemed to work and his feelings never did go away and that frustrated him. He never felt this way about a woman until Diane and knew he never would again. The hardest part of it all though was that she was very much committed to another man. She had been with Frasier since her return to Cheers so who knew how long they had been together. 

In a way though it seemed better that she was with Frasier and not him. Maybe it was just him looking too much into it, but she seemed happier with him. From what Sam understood, Frasier treated her very well and he was happy for both of them. He knew that he hadn’t been the greatest boyfriend in the world and if he wasn’t going to be the one for her, then all he wanted was her happiness. After all, he found that her happiness was what he cared about most.

Staring at the wall a little longer, Sam comes up with an idea on how to guarantee that she would talk to him. He knew it wasn’t going to be as simple as asking for a chat, he would definitely have to win her over. With that thought Sam gets up from his chair and quickly leaves his office, heading over to the stairs and up to Melville’s.

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Nearly an hour later, Sam knocks on Diane’s apartment door and waits patiently outside for her to open. He really hoped that this conversation wouldn’t somehow turn into a fight. He wanted to apologize and make last night up to her. Plus, they had a lot to discuss in regards to the future so one way or another they were going to have to talk. 

“Who is it?” She calls out from the other side of the door.

“It’s me!” Sam says in return.

A brief moment of silence greets him before she says back, “go away! I don’t want to talk to you!”

“Aw come on Diane, please? I just want to talk!” he pleads.

Another pause as if she was considering actually letting him in, “I’m sorry Sam, I just want to be left alone! Especially after the night we had last night!”

He sighs and steps back from the door, “well alright! I guess I’ll just have to eat this cheesecake from Melville’s all by myself!”

Almost instantly he hears the apartment door creak open and watches as Diane sticks her head out just a little, “did you say Melville’s cheesecake?”

Sam holds up the box and nods, “you think I’d lie about the best cheesecake in the world?”

She stares at him for a moment, knowing that she was going to have to chat with him at some point. After all he was her boss and she couldn’t avoid coming into work forever. Quitting wasn’t an option either, he paid well and she needed the money. Even more than before now that she was carrying his child. “Alright fine, come in” Diane then steps back and opens the apartment door completely for him. 

He gives her a quick thank you before following her over to the couch. As they get seated he notices that her eyes seemed a little red and so did her cheeks, as if she had been crying. That sent a sharp pain through his chest, he hated it when she cried. However, instead of saying anything to her about it, he decides to leave it be because he knew that was the best option.

Sam sets the box with the two slices of cheesecake in it onto her coffee table and pulls out the first slice along with plastic utensils. Turning, he hands the cake over to her with a small smile. She quietly thanks him as she takes the dessert and digs in right away, unable to resist. 

The next ten or so minutes are spent quiet, both eating the cheesecake and trying to enjoy the oddly pleasant feeling of the moment. It wasn’t awkward, they were both incredibly comfortable around each other. However, it wasn’t like their usual times eating cheesecake where they’d chat or flirt with one another. There was a lot that had been unsaid and needed unpacking that doing their usual routine didn’t feel quite right. Besides, even though they still had their moments of flirtation it was definitely much more dialed back considering Diane’s relationship.

As their eating winds down, Sam sits up a little more and turns to Diane. “Look… I want to say that I’m sorry for how I reacted to your news. I should’ve said something instead of shutting down.”

Placing her plate and utensils down onto the coffee table for now, Diane shrugs a little “it’s okay. I shouldn’t have expected you to have something to say immediately. I know I was shocked when I found out. If someone would’ve asked me to have something to say about being a mother to be right after finding out, I wouldn’t have been able to. I’m sorry for putting that on you.”

Scooting a tiny bit closer to her, Sam nods, “well I hope you know that even though I was initially shocked… and still somewhat am, I intend on being part of our baby’s life.”

She looks up at him, a new twinkle coming to her eyes. Hearing that sent a wave of relief over her. Had she been preparing to do this all alone? Absolutely. If she was honest, she didn’t expect to hear Sam say that he wanted to be part of their baby’s life. Having him say it without question made her very happy. “You don’t know how glad I am to hear that… because I was fully prepared to tell you that I could handle this all on my own,” Diane says.

Suddenly, he feels Diane’s hand in his own and that makes his heart take off in a sprint. He absolutely was not prepared for that. However, he remains calm and nods, “you’re not going to be alone in this. I’ll take you to all of your appointments, I’ll set up part of my apartment for the baby, we can work out our shared custody, all of it. I want to be responsible and really be there for you and our child.”

Her heart melts at that, she could see it in his eyes that he was telling the truth. He was determined to commit to this parenting thing with her for the rest of their lives, even if it meant they weren’t going to be together. They would always be connected through this child and that was very special to her. Diane squeezes his hand before letting go, “there is one more thing though,” she points out.

“What’s that sweetheart?” Sam asks.

“Well,” Diane pauses for a moment to gather all of her thoughts, “for as long as I’ve known you and probably since you began dating you’ve been quite the bachelor. Now do what you want, date as many women as you’d like, but I really would prefer that you not bring woman after woman around our baby. Do you think you could do that?”

He considers for a few moments then nods, “I think I can handle that. You’re the mother after all and if that’s what you want then I’ll make some changes in my dating life.”

Once again Sam surprised her with making this all so easy. He didn’t argue and didn’t make some stupid remark. Diane knew he was fully capable of being like this and not only that but the sweetest person alive. She hadn’t seen it since before their breakup and it was nice or finally see that part of him again. To know it still existed within him gave her a good feeling about all of this.

“Oh and please, please put a door on your bathroom” she adds with a giggle. 

“Now that one might be a little hard for me ... but I’ll see what I can do,” he jokes. 

Diane giggles again and smiles, taking an extra few moments to look at him. Her heart kept doing backflip after backflip and no matter how hard she tried to make it stop she couldn’t. Ever since she returned to Cheers and Sam started doing better again, they returned to how they were before she left. Not entirely of course, they weren’t dating anymore but their banter was still there. As was their friendship, it was rebuilding itself but still there. It meant so much to her that they still had each other after everything. 

After a couple more moments Diane breaks away her stare and reminds herself of Frasier. Shoot. Frasier would be over within the hour and she still needed to get dressed and soon would have to push Sam out even though she didn’t want to. 

Sam shifts a little on the couch and begins to stand, “I should probably get going. I’m sure you have a lot to do and sort out. I should probably get back over to Cheers too and make sure they didn’t burn the place down” he jokes again and begins to make way for the door.

Quickly standing, Diane follows after him, “thank you for coming by Sam. I’m really glad that we had this talk.”

He stops in front of the door and turns around to her, “I am too. I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

She nods, “I promise I'll be there right on time tomorrow.”

He smiles a little and turns back to the door, just as he’s about to open it she stops him by saying, “Sam wait…” His heart takes off again in another sprint as he hears her say that. What was she going to do? Or maybe even say?

Diane approaches him, “can I- can I ask you something?”

Once again he faces her and then nods, “yeah sure.”

“Did you… start drinking again after I left the morning after we…” she trails off, knowing that he understood what day she was referring to.

He pauses for a moment, that certainly wasn’t what he was expecting. “Diane…”

“Sam…” she steps a little closer to him and gives him her pleading eyes. It wasn’t like she didn’t already know that she was the reason he started drinking again, but she wanted his confirmation. 

Sam lets out a sigh and nods, “yeah… I did” he admits quietly. 

Diane looks down, feeling a strike go through her chest. Even though it pained her to hear him say it, she was glad he did. Now she knew for sure that she was the reason he had been in that terrible place and she could start finding out how to make it up to him. 

“Can I ask you something now?” Sam questions.

Looking up she nods, “of course you can.”

“Did you… did you check yourself into Goldenbrook because of me? Because of the breakup?” Just as Diane knew the answer to her question, he knew the answer to his own.

Diane looks back up at him and nods, “yeah…” she whispers. She was fighting back tears now, she didn’t like to think about how horribly their breakup she treated both of them. Nor how bad things had been near the end. That wasn’t them. Things were never perfect during their relationship, she knew that. However, there wasn’t a single person who had made her as happy as she was when they were together. Never did she ever regret dating him, even when she claimed she did as a joke.

Both were sharing the similar feeling of guilt and regret for the pain they had caused each other. Sam was harboring a lot more of it than Diane. He knew how badly he had screwed up. He was never the perfect boyfriend and he wished he would’ve realized that sooner. Maybe they wouldn’t be here like this, maybe they’d still be together. 

She takes a long look at him then steps forward and suddenly pulls him into a hug. Her entire body relaxes as his arms come around her in a tight hug. Diane didn’t even realize how tense she was until just now. A new feeling has made its way through, one that she was quite familiar with when it came to him. She felt safe, like no one would ever hurt her as long as he was there. She had forgotten how comforting his hugs were, how tight he always held her. His hugs might be what she missed most.

“I’m sorry” he whispers, his grip on her slightly increasing. 

Her eyes fall closed so that she could stop any tears from coming, they were already building up again and she didn’t want to cry. Not now, not in front of him. “I am too” Diane whispers in return. 

The hug lasts a little longer, neither one wanting to let go. However Sam eventually pulls back and steps back toward the door, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She nods and gives him a small smile, “see you then Sam.” Diane then watches as Sam finally steps out of the apartment and the door closes behind him. She couldn’t even begin to explain how glad she was that he came by and they chatted. It was only the tip of the iceberg when it came to sorting their relationship out, but it was progress and that was what mattered. 

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A knock comes at Diane’s door about an hour after Sam had left. In that hour, she had spent it getting ready to go out to dinner with Frasier and possibly spend the evening with him. She was more confident now than she had been earlier in the day about this evening with him. No longer was she carrying a large weight of sadness on her shoulders. She could enjoy their evening without thinking about how horrible the previous night had been since Sam had stopped by.

Stepping out of her bedroom, Diane walks over to the door wearing a mauve v-neck chiffon dress. It especially highlighted her upper half and gave her legs a chance to shine too. Opening the door, she smiles as she sees Frasier standing on the other side dressed in a black suit. They were headed to an opera for the evening then dinner at a highly rated french restaurant, they had to ensure their attire was appropriate.

“My, don’t you look stunning?” he compliments.

“Well hello to you too,” Diane steps forward and presses a kiss to his lips. 

“Are you ready to go?” he questions as they part.

She nods and grabs her silver clutch before stepping out of the apartment, “indeed.”

Frasier offers her arm to which she loops her own through and rests her head down on his shoulder as they begin to walk toward the elevator. For now, the couple was living in bliss. Diane still had time to tell him about the pregnancy and had no plans of telling him right away. Maybe it wasn’t the wisest decision, but she wanted to enjoy their honeymoon phase before it all came crashing down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FinaLLy these two talked about only some of their problems but there’s so much more to come! With that being said, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Thank you for taking the time to read it and if you’d like, leave a kudos or some feedback <3


	5. Chapter 5

Sam presses down a little on the pedal of his Corvette as he guides it around traffic. He wasn’t driving erratically or anything, only doing what he could to make sure they arrived to this appointment on time without being pulled over. It had been a month since Diane told him she was pregnant and as he promised, he was taking her to every appointment. This was only her second appointment but he was going to uphold the promise until the birth and maybe even after if she needed it.

Diane herself was now three months along, still not showing but then again she was rather thin to begin with. The most that could be seen was the tiniest of bumps, but that didn’t even look like a bump. It looked as if she was bloated from a large meal and not pregnant. She certainly didn’t mind that, at least she didn’t have to go out and buy new clothes just yet. Plus it made hiding it from not only their friends but Frasier too that much easier. 

“No no no, there is absolutely no way I am letting you name our child Kandi if it’s a girl” Diane shoots down the suggestion immediately. The two were currently discussing baby names as he drove. 

“Ah come on! It’s a nice name!” he protests.

“Yeah and it’s the same name that I’m positive came out of your little black book” she retorts. 

“And so what if it is?” 

“Sam…” she turns toward him shooting daggers at him, knowing that even though his eyes were on the road that he could feel the annoyance coming from her. 

He puts up his hands for a brief moment in defeat, “fine fine no Kandi but there’s no way in hell I’m letting you name our kid Toby if it’s a boy. What the hell kind of name is that anyways?”

Diane purses her lips, “I’ll have you know that it’s a sophisticated and fitting name for any boy.”

This debate over the name of their unborn child wasn’t going exactly well, but they’d work it out eventually. There had to be some name out there both of them would agree on. Besides, they still had plenty of time before the baby was born. 

Sam rolls his eyes, “whatever you say Diane.”

“You’re a real pain in the neck, you know that Sam?” she wasn’t mad at him but was certainly annoyed about this whole conversation, especially how he shot down every single name suggestion she had. 

“Oh I can certainly say the same for you sweetheart” he replies.

“Well, I guess we can agree on one thing then it seems” she chuckles.

Sam chuckles as well and nods, “yeah I guess so.”

The car becomes silent for a few moments as they get closer to the ob/gyn’s office, but before they arrive Sam breaks their silence. “I’m sorry for shooting down all of your name suggestions, I just don’t feel like they fit _our_ kid you know?”

Diane looks over at him and a small smile comes to her face, “I suppose our child is going to be pretty special aren’t they?” They were a special pair, not being the couple that would ever seem to work but when they were together, they did.

He smiles too, “yeah, I mean look at who their parents are. This kid won’t be any ordinary kid especially if they’re anything like you.”

Warmth begins flowing through her chest and some rises onto her cheeks, filling them with a soft red color. He certainly knew how to make her blush and just melt from the inside out. “Well then, I’m sure we can find a special name that fits them eventually.”

Sam turns the car into the parking lot of the ob/gyn’s office and parks it in a spot near the doors. He turns to her and nods, “I don’t doubt it.”

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The doctor slides the blood pressure monitor onto Diane’s arm and secures it with the velcro. “How are we feeling today?” she questions as she begins to squeeze to tighten the band around her arm.

“Oh I’m doing alright. My feet are a little swollen but for the most part are doing okay. My morning sickness seems to have gotten better for now which is a real plus. Other than a few headaches throughout the day and my cravings becoming all over the place, I’m doing good” Diane replies. Thankfully the symptoms weren’t taking too much of a toll on her. She definitely had her mood swings and cravings for the strangest food combinations were present, but they were manageable.

The doctor nods and unstraps her arm, “that’s good and it seems that your blood pressure is normal, which is also good to know.” Putting aside the machine, she grabs the doppler machine and turns back to both Diane and Sam. Diane was sitting down on the exam bed while he sat close by in the chair next to her. “Shall we listen to your baby’s heartbeat?”

Glancing over at Sam, Diane gives him a little smile and he returns one. This would be the first time they were going to hear the baby’s heartbeat since during the first appointment they had run out of time. She turns back to the doctor and nods, “we’d love to hear it.”

Laying back on the bed, Diane lifts up her shirt for the doctor and watches as she grabs a gel to put on her stomach. “Now just a warning, the gel is cold so I apologize in advance.” She then squeezes a little onto Diane’s stomach who slightly flinches from the cold feeling. 

The second the wand lands on the right spot, the room fills with a soft thumping sound. Tears flow to her eyes as she listens to the sound and looks up when she feels a hand come onto her shoulder. Sam was standing above her, taking a listen to the soft thumping. Were those tears she spotted coming to his eyes? Diane gives him a smile and grabs his hand, holding on tight as they listen for at least another minute to their baby’s heartbeat. 

She was suddenly incredibly grateful that Sam was here, that they were sharing this moment together. Of course there was never any doubt that she was pregnant, but hearing the baby’s heartbeat made it that much more real. This was all actually happening, they were going to be parents in about 26 weeks or so and their lives would change forever. It was scary but at the same time absolutely thrilling. Even though they weren’t together, they were still a team and they were about to embark on a journey that would bring them closer than they had ever been. It was all very real now. 

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The rest of her appointment goes by rather quickly and after another twenty minute drive, they were back at Diane’s apartment just now walking up to her door. As she goes to unlock it, she turns to him, “would you… would you like to come in and stay for a little while?” she asks.

She knew in the back of her mind that it was better for them to keep each other at arm’s length. It was clear when they became caught up in the moment and their feelings were raging all over the place, they couldn’t keep themselves together. Hence why they were in their current situation. That being said, it was hard to keep him at arm's length. They had history, he was and still is the one person she can truly trust. Keeping someone like that away, someone she gave her heart too, wasn’t easy. 

“Frasier’s not comin’ by to keep you company?” Sam questions. Of course he wanted to stay and spend the rest of the evening with her but he had to remind himself that she wasn’t his any longer. They were just friends. Huh, just friends. He never experienced that with a woman before. Well, maybe Carla but that was different.

She shakes her head, “he’s gone for a conference in Vermont. He won’t be back for another few days, but if you don’t want to come in it’s okay.”

“Hey I didn’t say no. In fact, I’d love in come in” he insists. 

Opening the door to her apartment Diane gestures to the inside of it, “well then after you, Mr. Malone.”

He gives her a small smile before stepping into the apartment with Diane close behind, shutting and locking the door behind her. She then begins to peel off her jacket and her shoes and place them in their designated spots. Walking over to the kitchen, she turns to Sam who was hanging up his own jacket “can I get you anything? Coffee? Tea?” 

“Coffee’s fine, thank you” he replies and steps over toward her couch, taking a seat down on the end closest to the door as he waits for her to return. 

Only about five or so minutes later, and she returns with two cups of coffee. One for Sam that was just black and one for her with had some creamer and a little sugar. She hands his mug over first then takes a seat, making sure that she wasn’t too close to him.

“Can I ask you something?” he questions before taking a sip of the freshly brewed black coffee in his hands.

Diane places her mug down on the coffee table in front of them after a sip then nods, “ask away.”

“Why are you so willing to be around me again? Our breakup was horrible… and I know for the most part that I’m the reason things got so bad. I guess I figured you’d never want to see me again, let alone let me help raise our child” Sam explains. He honestly never thought he’d see her again after their breakup. She surprised him when she showed up at his apartment with his things and once again when she returned to Cheers. He figured by now she’d have a new job and he would only be an afterthought.

She shifts on the couch and takes a little bit of time to gather her thoughts. “Well,” she begins, “if I’m honest… in the beginning I didn’t ever want to see your face again. I hated you for hurting me and vowed to never step foot into the bar again. After some time… I realized I didn’t truly hate you and I never could. That’s why I was even able to show up to return your things that night. Once I checked myself into Goldenbrook and really dug into my feelings with my psychiatrist, I realized that you’re only a human just like me. I’ll admit that I was hesitant to return but I wasn’t going to let you fall down that same path you once did. As soon as the man I knew started coming back out of wherever he had gone, I knew that things would be okay between us again. We might fight and argue… a lot but you’re my best friend. I spent over a year loving you, I know that you have a good heart and good intentions and that sometimes you screw up. You hurt me, you really did, but after hearing you admit that you know that and that our good times were the best of your life then I knew I could find that trust in you again that I once had.”

Sam looks at her, at a loss for words. He didn’t expect to hear that she considered him her best friend. If anything he figured it was somewhat of a friend but more as someone she was stuck with due to their situation. Part of him thought maybe she still loved him but the other was completely unsure. “I… I don’t, I don’t know what to say other than thank you for believing in me… I’ve never been ‘best friends’ with a woman before but, I’m glad it’s with you.”

Scooting closer to him, Diane takes his hand into her own and looks up at him. She gives him a small smile, “you’re going to be a great father. There’s no one else I’d rather do this with.” She wasn’t even considering the fact that she had a boyfriend. That had completely gone out of her mind. Then again she wouldn’t know how to go through having a child with Frasier, their relationship was still rather fresh. 

“There’s no one else I’d want to be the mother of my child” he says in return. His heart rate had skyrocketed from the hand holding to the smile she had given him. He was one hundred percent still in love with her, if there had been any doubt then it gone. There was no denying that he was still incredibly in love.

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Late into the night, around three in the morning, Sam looks down at the other end of the couch and there laid her blonde locks sprawled out all over while she slept soundly. The two had spent hours talking, well into the night. It wasn’t until around two thirty that they slowed their talking and he was just now noticing that she had fallen asleep. Smiling, Sam gets off the couch and gently lifts her from it. He didn’t want to leave her asleep on the couch, especially since he knew he couldn’t stay any longer. 

Holding her under her knees and back, he makes his way into her bedroom and slowly sets her down in the bed. Thankfully she had already changed into her nightgown earlier in the night so he didn’t have to worry about that. Pulling the covers over her, Sam then leans down and gently kisses the top of her head. “Goodnight Diane” he whispers.

About a minute later, he steps out of her bedroom and quietly closes the door. Finally, once he’s slid back into his shoes and jacket, he grabs his car keys and quietly leaves the apartment. He couldn’t believe the night they had: they spent it talking, laughing, enjoying one another’s company. They hadn’t been this way in quite a long time and he was so glad that tonight gave them the opportunity to only become closer again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of a softer chapter with this one but y’all better gear up because some ANGST is comin’ your way. In the meantime, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! As always feel free to leave a kudos or some feedback if you’d like!


	6. Chapter 6

Staring at herself through the mirror, Diane gently presses her hand to her belly and rubs it against the small bump that was only growing bigger day by day. She was close to four months now and it seemed that slowly she was beginning to show. It wasn’t very obvious with the loose fitting nightgown she had on but she could no longer wear anything tight since the only person who knew of the pregnancy was Sam. A small smile comes to her face, “you know my precious little cherub… mommy really can’t wait to meet you. You are going to be the most spoiled child on the planet” she laughs.

A sigh then comes from her lips as she’s reminded of the reality of her situation. Frasier still didn’t know. How much longer could she keep this up? Everyday she was finding articles of clothing she couldn’t fit into anymore. Not to mention she turned down his sexual advances every time, he probably thought something was wrong. It was a wonder he hadn’t began questioning her about it. Guilt was another part of this, it was growing heavy on her conscious everyday that she kept this from him. She knew that he deserved to know the truth and that in only a matter of time she wouldn’t be able to hide it anymore. 

Stepping out of her bathroom and back into her bedroom, Diane begins to put on her outfit for the day. It was one that she had specially picked out and made sure was loose enough to cover her bump. The thought of needing to tell Frasier was still lingering in her mind. Maybe it was time, she couldn’t pretend as if everything was normal anymore. It all stopped before their relationship really went anywhere. That didn’t mean she didn’t care deeply for him but she knew that telling him the truth would only damage their relationship. Frasier had been insecure about Sam since the beginning and learning that she was having his baby, well, it certainly wasn’t going to help the situation. 

After getting her outfit on, she walks out of her bedroom and over to the couch. Picking up the phone, Diane fingers slightly shake as she dials Frasier’s number. It would be a lie to say she wasn’t nervous about telling him. Even though it wasn’t going to happen over the phone, having to plan a way to tell him was nerve wracking. 

“Hi, it's me” Diane greets as soon as he answers. 

“Ah a voice I cherish, it’s lovely to hear from you. I’ve missed you these past few days” he says.

“I’ve missed you too dear,” a small pang hits her in the chest as she realizes that was a lie. Okay so maybe she did miss him a little but she had been so preoccupied the past few days that she didn’t even have time to miss him. Was she terrible for that? “Look, Frasier, I have something I need to talk to you about. It’s rather important… do you think we could have lunch and talk about it?” 

“Well sure, how does noon sound?”

“Noon is great, I’ll see you then Frasier” she then hangs up the phone and lets out a large breath that she had been holding. Diane was glad she would be at work for a few hours, that would be the only thing keeping her distracted until their lunch.

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“You alright Diane? You seem a little off today” Sam notices as she scribbles out the order she had just taken since she had completely messed it up. 

She shakes her head, “I’m fine, I just need to go get the order again.”

“Aw no, no come on, I know you a little better than that. What’s wrong?” he persists.

Looking up from her writing pad she purses her lips a little as she sees a confident look on his face. She had to give it to him for not just letting her carry on as a barely functioning person. Taking a second before telling him, Diane looks around and sees Carla serving a group of people and Coach at the other end of the bar entertaining Norm and Cliff. “I’m telling Frasier today about… well the thing.”

“The thing?” Sam raises a brow. 

Shaking her head she quickly points to her stomach, “yes, the person we created” she replies in a quieter voice to guarantee no one would hear. 

Realization strikes him, “ohh right right, that. I’m sure it’ll be okay” he shrugs. 

“Yes because every man is totally okay with hearing that their girlfriend is pregnant with her ex boyfriends baby” Diane remarks bitterly.

Sam puts his hands up, “okay you’re right. It’s not going to be easy but he deserves to know the truth.” 

She sighs and looks down at the pad and pen on her tray, “I know I’m just not ready to break his heart.”

“Well if it makes you feel any better, I gladly offer my services to get you through this. Though it requires a lot less clothing than what we currently are wearing.”

Diane looks up at him again, trying to fight back her smile, and shakes her head, “you’re absolutely ridiculous” she says before walking off to take more orders from customers. 

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Lunch comes slower than it ever had since Diane started working at Cheers. The morning dragged on and on and part of that probably had to do with the fact that she constantly would check the time and see if it was close to noon yet. All morning her thoughts had been wrapped up in different ways she could break this to Frasier. She knew it was best to ease into it rather than spitting it all out at once, that way he would handle it maybe a little a little easier. 

Noon finally came and in walked Frasier who whisked her away after saying a few hellos to everyone. The car ride over to the little cafe where they’d be having lunch was somewhat awkward and quiet despite both of their best efforts to make it otherwise. 

Now here they sat across from one another, Diane sipping on her water and looking off to her right out at the street beside them. When was the best time to tell him? She knew she needed to start a conversation and if her nerves could push back a little then it would be that much easier. Unfortunately that wasn’t how the world worked and she knew she was going to have to bite the bullet. 

“You alright dear? You’ve barely touched your meal” Frasier says, interrupting her thoughts.

Diane turns her attention back to him and sets down her glass of water. “Yes, sorry, I’m alright. How are you? How’s your day been?” The words spew out before she could even think, thankfully it was only simple conversation and not why she asked him to lunch.

“Oh it’s been the same, listened to my patients discuss how their lives are far from perfect so the usual. I do remember you saying though that there was something you needed to talk to me about and that it was rather important?”

Damn. She was hoping he had forgotten that by now but it looked like there was no getting out of this. “Yes, well, I guess there is no easy way to tell you this…” Diane trails off as she looks at him, feeling an enormous amount of guilt for holding the secret for as long as she had. For practically lying to him and now crushing his heart all at once. “I’m pregnant” she finally lets those two words come out. 

Before she can even begin to gather the words and strength to tell him that he wasn’t the father, a large shining smile comes to Frasier’s face. “You’re really pregnant?” 

She nods in response, unable to form any words. 

“Well we should go tell everyone!” he says excitedly and starts to quickly pay for lunch so that they can get back to the bar as quickly as possible.

All Diane can even do is watch, still no words were coming as his excitement only seems to grow. How the hell was she supposed to tell him the bad news when he seemed over the moon about this? Now she was in even deeper trouble than she was before.

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Immediately after lunch, Frasier takes her back to Cheers and they enter the bar hand in hand with him in the lead. “Everyone!” he announces. “Diane and I have some wonderful news to share!”

“You’re finally whisking her away to Antarctica and we’ll never have to see her again?” Carla remarks.

Diane ignores Carla’s comment and her eyes immediately land on Sam who was standing behind the bar and had stopped cutting up lemons to listen to what Frasier had to say. She knew he was not going to be happy to hear this.

“No no Carla, actually…” he looks down at her, “Diane would you like to do the honors?” He questions.

Great, just great, exactly how she wanted to tell everyone the news. “Yes! I’m pregnant, but no it’s not what you all think, no it’s not Frasier’s child. It’s Sam’s and that only makes me look like a cheater” she thinks to herself. Diane hesitates for a moment as she looks at Frasier but then turns to the room and announces, “I’m pregnant.”

At first the room was quiet and all Diane could do was watch as Sam’s brows raise since he was the only one who knew the truth. For now he was, she knew she couldn’t keep this up with Frasier for very long, it just wasn’t right. 

“Congratulations you two” Coach says with a smile. His congratulations was probably the only thing making her feel a little better. 

“Yeah why don’t you come join us? Sammy here will pour you a congratulatory drink” Norm says to Fraiser, who was still beaming. 

Sam finally speaks up and shakes his head, “ah actually Coach why don’t you handle that for me? I need to have a word with the mother-to-be for a minute.” He steps out from behind the bar and approaches Diane as she steps further into the building. 

“Are you sure Sam? We can always talk later…” she says and tries to walk past him only for him to come behind her and push her toward his office.

“No no I think we should handle this now.”

As soon as the door to his office closes he turns to her, “I thought you were going to tell him the truth?”

A sigh comes from her as she walks toward his chair, “I was going to tell him the rest and then he got so excited… I just couldn’t.” Taking a seat in his chair, a hand comes to her belly and she gently rubs it. “Do you know how hard it is to tell a man that you’re pregnant but it’s not his child?”

“No, but say the situation was different. Say it was me and you were pregnant with your ex’s baby. Don’t you think I would deserve to know the truth no matter how much it hurt?”

She looks down at the ground as she lets out another sigh, he was right. No matter how much it was going to hurt, Frasier deserved to know the truth about this. Stringing him along until the child’s birth was just downright cruel. Diane certainly wasn’t one to be cruel. “Okay… I’ll tell him. Just not here, I’ll invite him over and I’ll tell him then.”

Finally looking up again, Diane takes a glance at Sam’s desk and notices a sonogram from their last appointment sitting up against one of his picture frames of him and Coach during their Red Sox days. A small smile comes to her face as she sees it sitting there, “you keep this in here?” she questions and gestures toward the sonogram of their child.

“Keep what?” Sam asks and walks over to his desk to see what she was gesturing to. “Oh the sonogram. Yeah, I keep it in here… it’s one of the many reminders not to screw up my life again and that my life is about to change for the better.”

Diane looks up at him, smiling once again, “that’s really sweet, Sam.” It made her heart warm that their child already meant a lot to him. She knew even though they hadn’t discussed it at great lengths yet that he was terrified of being a father and this only assured her that he was going to be a phenomenal one. 

He shrugs, trying to blow it off, “eh if you say so.”

Shaking her head, Diane gets up from his chair and gently pats his shoulder, “one of these days you’ll admit that you’re a real softie Sam, one of these days.” She then walks past him and begins to make her way out into the bar, hoping that Frasier wouldn’t be celebrating for too long. 

A little while later, Coach approaches Diane who was sitting at the end of the bar in her usual spot. A glum look was painted across her face but everyone was too busy to notice. Frasier, Norm, Cliff, and a few other barflies were in the back playing celebratory pool. Carla was serving drinks, as if she could care anyways. Sam was making drinks and occasionally tried chatting with her but put that to a stop when he realized she wasn’t in the mood. Coach was finally approaching her, “what’s the long look for? I thought you’d be celebrating.”

She looks at her sweet, sweet friend who had an absolute heart of gold and sighs. “Coach have you ever had to tell someone something really important even though you knew it would break their heart?” She was at an absolute loss on what to say to Frasier. There was no way to say it to him gently and that what she was struggling with the most.

“Well there was this one time I told Sam that his cologne was too strong… but I don’t think that broke his heart.”

Diane chuckles, “Oh believe me, I’ve done the same many times. I don’t think that quite hits his heartstrings. I mean like… having to fire someone even though they’re a really good employee but you just don’t have the money to keep them around.”

Coach nods, “we had to cut many people from the baseball team and I think that hit them in the heart.”

“That’s what I mean… how do tell someone when it’s going to hurt them in that way?” 

The older man pauses for a moment, “I don’t really know… but whatever it is you’ve got to say I’m sure you can do it. You’re the smartest person I know, you’ll think of something” he assures.

A smile comes across her face at that and she nods, “thank you Coach.” The conversation with him did help her feel better about this, even if she was still unsure what to say. He was right, she could eventually come up with something that could maybe soften the blow of the news.

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By the time both Frasier and Diane arrive at her apartment, his excitement had died down but she could tell he was still absolutely buzzing. Meanwhile her stomach was twisting and turning, she was just about ready to throw up but not from the pregnancy but knowing she was about to shatter his heart and everything was about it change.

“That went over pretty well with the gang, wouldn’t you say?” he questions as the two stand by her door, peeking themselves out of their jackets. 

“Yeah…” she pauses and holds the jacket in her hands, “listen Frasier… there’s something I need to tell you. It’s something I should’ve told you a lot sooner and well, we should probably sit down for this.” She then places her jacket quickly on the rack by the door and walks over toward the couch.

Confused, Frasier follows after and sits next to her, “what’s this all about?”

Diane takes a moment, trying to find any way besides being completely blunt to tell him this. There really wasn’t, she just needed to come out with the truth and deal with whatever reaction he was going to have. “Well, I am pregnant… but you’re not the father.”

Shock immediately wipes across his face as he hears he wasn’t the father and the only thing he knows to do is jump to conclusions, “are you saying you cheated on me?” 

That was a blow to the chest for her. On one hand, she couldn’t blame him for questioning that but on the other she couldn’t believe he would. She had been faithful to him even if deep in the back of her mind she knew her heart didn’t belong to him. “No, no I didn’t cheat on you. I’m a little over four months pregnant Frasier.”

“We’ve been together four months…” he pauses and then realizes, “but we didn’t start sleeping together right away…”

Diane nods, “I’m really sorry, I was pregnant before we even met and I had no idea. I’m sorry I kept it from you but you have to understand that I didn’t know how I was supposed to tell you…” 

“Wait, you haven’t even told me who the father is. Who is it?” Frasier asks.

A sigh comes from her and she looks down, “Sam” she murmurs. 

Silence enters the room as soon as he hears her answer. Though her guilt of holding this secret for so long was lifted, she didn’t feel any better. Frasier never deserved any of this and she should’ve never kept it from him. Her heart was just an absolute mess. She cared a lot for him, she wanted him to be happy and seeing him happy made her happy. Then there was Sam. Not a day went by where she didn’t think of him and not just because he was her boss and the father of her child. He still meant more to her than an ex had ever meant. Diane felt horrible for dating Frasier while being confused about her feelings toward Sam. It was wrong to ever get into a relationship with Frasier in the first place. Now all she was doing was breaking his heart and he didn’t deserve that. 

After what felt like a lifetime, Frasier quietly gets up from the couch and walks back over to the coat rack. Diane quickly stands up and follows after, “where are you going?” she questions, the tears already streaming down her cheeks.

“Anywhere but here” he replies and once his jacket is back on, he walks over to the door and out of it without another word.

Diane stands there staring for a moment, tears still falling. She expected him to be upset but not this upset. Damn it. She hated herself for doing this to him, she should’ve never kept this from him. Now what was the future going to look like? There was no way that their relationship wasn’t over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Diane finally told Frasier the truth! This is only the beginning of a sequence of events for her. Thank you all for reading this chapter and feel free to leave a kudos or some feedback if you’d like <3


	7. Chapter 7

Pain. Both physical and emotional pain were soaring through Diane’s body, each striking her at different moments like a bolt of lightning. She had spent almost her entire night crying over her broken relationship, blaming herself for everything. Maybe if she would’ve never kept the secret Frasier wouldn’t hate her. Maybe if she would’ve told him he wasn’t the father right after saying she was pregnant it wouldn’t have hurt him as much. Maybe she should’ve never pursued a relationship with him at all because no matter what road they went down, each one would only have disaster waiting at the end. Even if that were true, Diane couldn’t stop her tears and feeling as if she was the most horrible person to walk the Earth. She never meant for any of this to turn out the way it had but it seemed the universe had other plans for her. 

Just as she was holding an emotional pain, physical pain had joined along with it only minutes ago. It wasn’t the pain of a broken heart. No, she was experiencing a pain that was similar to period cramps except intensified by at least a thousand. It wasn’t constant, it came and went in waves but the pain was enough for her tears to come from that as well. She didn’t know what was going on, and now fear was beginning to settle in as she thought of her child. Moving over in bed, Diane reaches for her phone and quickly dials Sam’s number. If something had happened to her baby she would never forgive herself, ever. 

“Hello?” 

Relief washes through her as she hears his voice, beyond grateful that he decided to spend a night in his own apartment for once. “Sam—” the tears pour down her cheeks as she utters out his name just as more pain comes over her.

“Diane? What’s wrong?” he questions, immediately picking up that she seemed to be in some sort of trouble. 

“I-I don’t know I started having this pain in my stomach and it comes and goes in waves but when it comes it’s so intense and…” she sniffles, trying to pull herself together, “Sam I’m scared, I don’t know what’s happening and I don’t want anything to happen to our baby.”

“Do you want me to call an ambulance? What can I do?” Concern grows in his voice when she mentions the baby. He wouldn’t be able to handle something happening to their baby. 

“No… no please don’t call an ambulance. Please just get over here-” she suddenly gasps out in pain as another wave practically rips through the lower half of her stomach. “P-please get here as fast as you can” she sobs. 

Sam immediately jumps into action, “alright sweetheart just take a deep breath, lay down, and I’ll be there as soon as I possibly can. I promise everything is going to be fine” he assures.

Diane nods, “okay… please be careful getting here… I’ll see you soon.” With that, she hangs up the phone and lays down again, doing as Sam said and taking in a deep breath before letting it out slowly. As she waits for him, she tries to think positively and tell herself that the baby was okay. That everything was going to be okay. 

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The second the door opens, she throws her arms around him and begins to cry into this shoulder, “I’m so scared,” she murmurs. She was only a first time mom, how was it that she was supposed to know what was going on? Her body was changing in so many ways and though she tried to understand and learn, she didn’t know it all. 

Sam’s arms come around her and slowly, he walks the two of them into her apartment and closes the door behind them with his foot. “It’s going to be okay sweetheart” he comforts, trying to be the one with a level head in this situation even though he was also worried out of his mind. His hand rubs along her back for a few moments before pulling back, “what do you want me to do? Do you want me to take you to the hospital?”

Diane wipes her eyes and as she’s doing so, she feels another wave beginning up again. “Oh— it’s happening again.” Her eyes then fall closed as she tries to gear up for the pain.

He immediately grabs her hands and “I’m here just try to breathe through the pain” he says just before she begins squeezing his hands tightly while crying out in pain. 

Trying to listen to what he has said, Diane takes in a breath and lets out it as the wave rips through her again. It somehow did make the pain a little more bearable but didn’t fully take it away. Once the wave dies back down, she opens her eyes again and lets out a sigh of defeat. She was exhausted from spending half of her night crying over Frasier and now the other half crying from this unbearable pain. “I want to go to the hospital…” 

Sam nods, “then let’s get you there immediately. I don’t like seeing you in that much pain.” He could see the exhaustion in her face and he could only assume that the pain wasn’t the only reason for this. Maybe they could chat later about how things went with Frasier because by the looks of it, it appeared that they didn’t go too well. 

Taking a minute, Diane grabs slides on her comfortable shoes, ones she didn’t have to put effort into putting on since they slid right on. They were a godsend for pregnancy, she wasn’t wearing heels or any other type of shoe and didn’t have to worry. They were comfortable and slid on with ease. Sliding her jacket on after, Diane grabs her purse and turns to Sam, “I hope you don’t mind speeding because I need to know if our baby is okay.”

“Hey if it weren’t for speeding I wouldn’t have gotten here so quickly” he replies as he follows her out of the apartment and toward the elevators.

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The nurse returns to the room about ten minutes after checking over Diane. The second she sees the nurse walk in her heart rate skyrockets. It wasn’t because the nurse looked as if something was wrong, because she didn’t, but Diane’s overactive brain kicked into high gear and was trying to convince her something had to be wrong. If her baby wasn’t healthy, that would absolutely break her and she wasn’t sure she’d be able to come back from that. 

“So I have good news, you and your baby are perfectly fine. You have a classic case of Braxton Hicks contractions, those usually can happen during the second and third trimester. Essentially, your body is practicing for labor and while it can be quite uncomfortable and in your case, painful, it’s nothing of concern. I would recommend going home and getting into the tub for a little less than half an hour and making sure you’re hydrated.”

She feels her hand being gently squeezed by Sam’s as they listen to the nurse together. Relief comes over her and she lets out a breath she had been holding, their baby was fine, she was fine. She did feel somewhat silly for rushing to the hospital now that she knew it was nothing of concern but it was better to be safe than sorry. 

“Thank you so much, you’ve really put both of us at ease” Diane says.

The nurse nods, “first time parenting is never easy and I’m glad you came. It’s better to make sure everything is fine than have something happen. If you ever need anything, we are always here to take care of you.”

That makes her smile and she nods, thanking the nurse again. Now she felt even better than she already did about deciding to give birth at this hospital, the entire staff seemed to be filled with angels. 

Once the nurse steps out Sam turns to Diane and squeezes her hand again, “let’s get you back home and in the tub.”

Stepping out of the bathroom a little over half an hour later, Diane walks out of her room and over to the couch where Sam was watching a baseball game while waiting. She smiles as she sees him sitting there, it brought back memories of when they were practically living together and married when they dated. They had fallen into a routine of having dinner and then cuddling on the couch while watching TV. It was as if they had been married for over twenty years. Something about seeing him sitting there waiting for her brought her back to those nights and reminded her just how much she missed when they were like that. That was the past though, this was the present and she needed to remember that. 

Sam turns his head as he hears footsteps approaching and smiles, “hey” he then grabs the remote and turns off the TV, “how was your bath?” he asks as he stands up. 

“Well I think the pain is completely gone now which is good. How was the baseball game?” 

He shrugs a little, “eh the sox weren’t doin’ too great. I’m surprised you didn’t come out here to scold me for shouting at the TV” Sam says with a chuckle.

“I considered it” she teases and smiles as she steps a little closer for him.

Looking down at his watch, he notices how late it was getting, “Ah, I should probably get going. I know you need your beauty sleep and I don’t want to stand in the way of that.” He then turns toward the door and begins to walk over to it.

Diane watches for a moment and before her brain can catch up with her mouth she blurts out, “wait!” 

Sam stops in his tracks then turns, watching as she walks up to him. “What is it?”

“You should stay… because, well,” she pauses, not believing that she was saying this, “I want you to.”

He had to admit, he was surprised to hear her say she wanted him to stay. It was probably the last thing he would expect from her. Nonetheless, he was happy she asked. It wasn’t that he wanted to leave but he was trying to do his best at respecting her boundaries. She was very important to him and screwing up their friendship was not something he wanted to do. 

“Well I’m not going to say no to the woman carrying my child” he says with a smile.

She smiles right back, “you’ll stay?” her heart begins to do backflips at that. Butterflies were rising in her stomach and though she didn’t necessarily want that, she couldn’t help it. 

“Of course as long as you don’t mind me on your couch.”

Diane steps back and nods, “the couch is all yours,” she says and steps out of the way for him to sit back down. 

He lets out a chuckle and steps back over to the couch, taking a seat again. He wasn’t exactly looking forward to sleeping on a couch but then again, he was willing to do just about anything to make her happy and feel safe. 

“Goodnight Sam” she says and begins to make her way back toward her room. 

“Goodnight Diane, sleep tight. I’ll be right here if you need anything” he assures.

She nods and thanks him for staying before slipping back into her bedroom and closing the door behind her. Hopefully she’d have a restful sleep or else she’d be a zombie at work tomorrow. 

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Sometime around two in the morning, Diane steps out of her room and tiptoes over to the couch where Sam was asleep. Leaning down, she gently shakes him by his shoulder “Sam…” she whispers. 

It takes a couple shakes before his eyes open and when they do, concern washes over his face. “Diane? Is everything okay?” 

She nods, “I’m okay and so is the baby but….” she trails off, suddenly embarrassed of what she was about to ask him. “I can’t sleep… and I-I was wondering if you would hold me?” Her cheeks begin to burn from embarrassment after the question leaves her lips. She felt beyond silly for asking but she had spent the last two hours tossing and turning trying to sleep but failing. Usually in the past, when Sam held her she could fall asleep within minutes and have a restful night. Before he can answer Diane shakes her head and steps back, “you know just forget I asked, that was stupid of me.” They would be crossing a line they hadn’t crossed in a long time, not counting the night their child was conceived. 

As she turns away she hears his voice come from behind her, “you didn’t even give me a chance to say yes” he chuckles in a tired voice.

Quickly she turns around and gives him a big smile, “really?” she didn’t know why but it made her very happy to hear him say yes. Maybe because that’s what she secretly hoped for and this would only bring them closer. 

Sam slides off the couch and walks over to her, “I have to admit as much fun as it is to have sex on your couch, it’s not as fun to sleep on it” he remarks.

A gasp comes from her at that and she lightly pushes him as they walk toward her room, “Sam!” 

He laughs as he follows her into the bedroom, “I’m only somewhat kidding.”

It takes a few moments but the two get settled into her bed, not cuddled up just yet. Diane faces him and takes a long look at him, he was really here. This wasn’t one of her recurring dreams. They were sitting mere inches apart and would soon close that distance so she could get some rest. “Thank you for doing this for me, I know it’s a rather odd request but… I always slept better when you were with me. It’s silly, I know, but it’s true… you made me feel safe” she admits. 

Sam himself was analyzing her too, having the same exact thoughts. This wasn’t some dream, they were about to be holding each other. He would be able to touch her and feel her breathing against him, he’d be able to take in the sweet scent of her hair again, all confirmations that they were actually here together. He smiles a little as he hears her words, finding it very touching and adorable that she slept better with him there. “It’s not silly. Truth be told, I always slept better with you by my side.”

Butterflies soar into her stomach immediately and a burst of warmth washes over her. The two go quiet and Diane glances down at Sam’s lips before back up into his eyes. The room was only lit by the lamp next to her bed but it was enough for her to see that there was a different sparkle in his eyes, one she hadn’t seen in a long time. The two were on the same train of thought, both leaning in at the same time and meeting halfway in a slow, tender kiss. 

Her hand comes up to rest on his cheek as the kiss lasts a couple of seconds. Not as long as either would’ve liked, but more than either thought would happen tonight. His forehead rests on her own and he lets out a breath, “you don’t know how long I’ve wanted to do that,” he admits softly. 

“I’m glad you did” she smiles then pulls away only to scoot closer into him so they could get some sleep. Truth be told, her heart was going a million miles a second. She felt like she was going to explode, her brain was scolding her for being an idiot while her heart rejoiced. Diane wasn’t quite sure what the kiss meant and as much as her brain was dying to pick it apart and question him, another reasonable side of her knew it was too early in the morning for that. 

The two settle down completely in the bed soon after, her head resting on her chest. She was on her side which meant her bump was pressed right up against him as well and he’d be able to feel their baby kick. That didn’t bother him though, anytime he felt a kick his heart soared. His arm comes around her and rests against her back while her own comes slightly around his waist so that she could hold him too. 

Both felt comfortable and right at home, as if as long as they held each other closer they were safe. Diane felt a whole lot better having him holding her and knowing he’d be by her side all night. She knew she’d be asleep in no time. 

“Goodnight Diane” he whispers.

“Goodnight Sam” she whispers back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy oh boy things are starting to pick up. I’m excited to get to work on these next few chapters for y’all and I hope you enjoy them. For now though, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thank you for reading and as always feel free to leave a kudos or some feedback if you’d like!


	8. Chapter 8

Morning rolls around and Sam finds himself still in bed with Diane at his side. So it was all real, last night hadn’t been a dream. She was laying across from him on her left side, face buried into her white pillow and her hair sprawled out across it. She was sleeping soundly and seemed so at peace like this. He never wanted to leave this spot. He wanted to stop time and conceal themselves in this moment forever. That way there would be no worries, no issues, nothing. Just the two of them at peace and happy for the rest of time. 

Unfortunately, his hope for a peaceful eternity are rudely interrupted when a loud knock comes at Diane’s apartment door. The knock startles her awake but Sam quickly stops her from getting out of bed, “don’t get up, I’ll answer it” he says softly. She could easily go back to sleep while he told whoever was at the door that she was unavailable at the moment. 

Giving him a tired smile, Diane quietly thanks him before laying her head back down. Meanwhile, Sam pulls himself out of bed and out of her room quietly. He quickly grabs his clothes that he had left by the couch and slides back into them, having slept in his underwear. Finally he reaches the door and opens it, “I’m sorry Diane isn’t available right now,” he says before looking to see who was standing there.

On the other side of the door was a now annoyed Frasier Crane. “Oh of course” he throws his hands up, “you’d be the first person she calls after I walk out.”

Sam looks back at Diane’s bedroom and confirms the door was still closed before stepping out into the hall to chat with Frasier. “Well actually, she called me last night because she was having really bad pains in her stomach and it terrified her. Turned out turned out to be braxton hicks contractions… which you’d know if you were here” he informs with a slightly bitter tone since Frasier has the nerve to act this way. 

“I had every reason to leave! She lied to me for months and expected me to not be upset, that’s ridiculous!” Frasier returns, already becoming defensive.

Sam sighs, “this entire pregnancy hasn’t been easy on her. I get it, you’re upset, but cut her some slack. She’s gone through enough since we broke up and I don’t think you acting this way helps. If you actually care about Diane, then you’ll do that for her.” He was suddenly glad Diane wasn’t here for this and hadn’t answered the door. He knew what a toll Frasier leaving and the braxton hicks took on her and she didn’t need anymore stress added to her right now. 

Though on the other side of the door, Diane had come out of her room since Sam hadn’t come back right away. She was currently approaching the door to listen in to what was going on. 

“Caring for Diane? Do you really want to talk about caring for Diane? I know all of the terrible things you’ve done to that woman. I don’t quite think it’s your place to tell me about caring about Diane” Frasier cautions.

Sam stares at the man before him for a moment, that was a low blow. He knew he had done terrible things to Diane, things he regretted, but he didn’t expect them to be held over his head like this. A little bit of anger fills him as he stands there for another moment, finding the right words to say. “Actually, I think it is. We dated for a year and I’ve cared about her long before that. You’re right, I’ve done terrible things to her. Things that I will regret until the day I die and for the rest of eternity. I know I hurt her, I’ve apologized more than once and that’ll never be enough. Those terrible things will never change the fact that she is the best thing that ever happened to me. I got scared of how hard I fell for her and I destroyed our relationship, I can’t change that. Regardless I cared more for her than any woman I ever had or ever will. Her favorite book is _Pride and Prejudice_ and the only reason I know that is because she talked my ear off about it for days on end but I didn’t mind, she enjoyed every second. Her favorite poet is Emily Dickinson but Shakespeare is a close second. She hates it when I wear a certain cologne but sometimes I do it because I love bugging her. She loves to cuddle and adores hugs. She loves it when I read to her and I’ve done it many times to make her happy. There’s so much more that is personal and not fair of me to share with you so I’ll stop there, but yes, I think it’s very much my place to talk about caring for Diane.”

He quickly spins around and opens the door to Diane’s apartment again, quickly walking in and shutting it behind him. Sam glances at the couch and see Diane sitting there with a book in hand, “you boyfriend’s here” he says and grabs his jacket so he could get out of here. 

She pulls herself off the couch right away and walks over to him, not going out to talk with Frasier just yet. “You’re leaving?” there was a certain sadness in her voice, she didn’t want him to go.

Sam didn’t know it but she had heart every single word he said about her. She was melting and was about to overflow with love. She couldn’t believe he remembered all those small things about her, especially that she loved it when he read to her. He hadn’t done that in awhile. Not to mention hearing him say that she was the best thing that ever happened to him. He had said something similar not too long ago but hearing it again just really hit her heart in the best way possible. It felt like her emotions toward him were slowly unlocking themselves and soon would all be set free. 

“It’s not right for me to stay, you guys have things to talk about. I’ll be at the bar… I've got some stuff to take care of before we open anyway” he explains. Besides, he couldn’t spend another minute around Frasier.

Diane nods, holding back on everything that she was feeling toward him until the moment was right. “Okay” she says softly then steps forward, pulling him into a tight hug. “I’ll be at Cheers soon, be careful driving over there” she then steps back and nods with a small smile as she watches him step out of the apartment, past Frasier, and down the hall. 

She watches him until he disappears toward the elevators and then looks up at Frasier, “we need to talk” her tone was completely different with him. She didn’t even know where to begin with how she felt toward him now.

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Stepping out of the shower twenty minutes later, Diane dries herself off with a towel before sliding into her clothes for the day. She felt lighter, a lot of the stress and guilt that had been weighing heavy on her for the past two months had for the most part been lifted. Not completely, but almost. 

Right after Sam left, she had Frasier had finally talked after the day they had yesterday. She apologized for putting him in the position she had and finally ended things with him. Diane had told him she would always care for him and his happiness and that was absolutely true, however they were never going to work out. That was something she was finally accepting. They weren’t right for each other even if they seemed to have everything in common. It wasn’t ever going to work. Especially with how he felt toward Sam being so present in her life and her having his child. It was best that they parted ways and now, she felt a whole lot better. They could both move on and find what they were looking for. 

Diane knew what she was looking for and had known for quite awhile, she was only just now letting herself come to terms with that. No more standing in the way of her own happiness and no more pushing aside what she really felt. Pressing a hand to her stomach, she glances down at her bump and gently rubs it, “you know my sweet ray of light, I hope when you’re mommy’s age you’re a lot smarter than she was about feelings.” She smiles when she feels a small kick, “oh you’re right who am I kidding? You’re definitely going to be a whole lot smarter than mommy.”

Adjusting her dress, Diane takes one more look at herself in the mirror before stepping out of the bathroom. It was time to take hold of her future before she lost it. 

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Hearing the door to Cheers open, Sam announces without looking up, “Sorry, we're still closed! We open in an hour and a half!” 

“You say that as if I’ve not worked here for over two years” Diane returns as she steps into the quiet bar. Sam was opening by himself which was good, they had some time to be alone. 

Sam looks up and chuckles, “I never thought I’d see the day where you showed up an hour and a half before you shift starts.” He then comes out from behind the bar and walks over to her. 

“I’m full of surprises, Sam” she replies confidently.

Stepping closer to her he smirks, “what other surprises do you have up your sleeve?” He couldn’t help but flirt, it came so naturally to him especially with her. 

Diane takes one more step closer to where they were now mere inches apart and doesn’t say a word. Instead, she grabs him by the back of his head just at the edge of his hairline and pulls him in for a hard, desperate kiss. This one was different than the one they had shared the night before. Their passion was elevated and this time neither planned on letting go.   
  
He quickly begins to walk her backward toward the door, “we have time…” he murmurs between passionate kisses, “to go back to my place.”

Diane holds on to him as she steps back and hums against him, “yes.. let’s go back to your place… we have a lot to make up for” she murmurs in between kisses as well and holds onto him as they both leave the bar together. Sam pauses for a moment, having to pull away to make sure the door was locked while they were gone. Once it’s locked he turns back to her and takes her hand, figuring it was better that they paid attention while getting to his car. Besides, they would have plenty of time with each other once they reached his apartment. 

The drive back takes about ten minutes and once they reach his floor, the two stumble into his apartment, lips locked again and being as careful as possible with her being pregnant. Sam pushes the door shut as soon as they’re in and he pushes her jacket off of her right away, her doing the same. 

Diane’s heart was through the roof, there wasn’t any sort of way to describe how fast it was going. She couldn’t believe they were here, they were finally going to move their relationship out of the friend area and back into the lover area, which was only right for them. As their kissing heats back up to where it had been previously, thoughts of doubt run through her mind. Should she really be doing this just after breaking up with Frasier? She knew Sam loved her, he has already proved that to her but she was beginning to feel bad for running to him the second things ended with Frasier. Her hands gently push on his chest and the two part, “Wait…” she says softly.

A confused look flashes across his face, “what’s wrong?”

Diane takes a moment before saying anything, knowing he wouldn’t be the happiest to hear this. “I… don’t think I can do this. It’s not right… I can’t do this to Frasier… we just broke up.”

Sam steps back, looking down at the ground. He didn’t know what to feel. Obviously he was hurt by this, he thought they were finally getting somewhere again but that was wrong. On the other hand, he couldn’t be mad at her for not wanting to do this to Frasier right after a breakup. 

Her heart aches as she watches his demeanor change and not just because he was upset. It was also because she was upset too, she wanted this more than anything but the timing was all wrong. Taking a step forward, she takes his hand, “Sam…”

To her dismay, he pulls away his hand and looks back up at her, “you should probably go.”

A sharp strike hits her in the chest and she stares at him for a moment, tears beginning to pool into her eyes. “Okay…” she says softly, trying to not let her voice break. 

Stepping past him, Diane grabs her jacket off the floor and slides it on as she goes toward the door. Once she reaches it, she turns back to him only to see him still standing in the same place looking back down at the ground. The tears quickly escape from her eyes and she turns back around, leaving the apartment with a hole in her heart. 

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It takes Diane some time to arrive back at her apartment since she had to go back to Cheers by cab to get her car. Though when she finally arrives home, she sinks right down onto the couch, resting her hands on her belly. It felt like someone had gathered all of her emotions, put them in a bag, shook them up, and left them all jumbled up. She was upset with herself for stopping things with Sam but she was also mad at him for kicking her out of his apartment. Of course she understood that he was hurt but couldn’t he see why she had done what she did? She was also sad that they weren’t together. That it felt as if they were fighting once again, which she didn’t want. 

All she really wanted was for all of their problems to be resolved and for them to be together again. She had spent so long denying her true feelings for him and trying to force herself to love someone she’d never truly love and now that was all over. Diane had dreams for many nights out of the past few months of her with Sam, they were living in their dream home with their baby. Every time she had the dream of them living out their life together, her mood was lifted and it felt right. It felt like that was what they were meant to do but they were at another bump in the road.

She didn’t know where things would go from here, she wanted her dreams to come true. She wanted her happy ending with him, spending the rest of their lives together. After turning him down like she had today, she didn’t know if that would happen. Diane had a gut feeling that Sam was going to hold this against her and possibly never want to be with her again. That frustrated her but she knew it was more than turning him down— it was their breakup, watching her with another man, and rebuilding their relationship through her pregnancy only to have his heart seemingly crushed. 

A long sigh comes from her as she pushes further down on the couch to completely lay down. She was at a loss currently and absolutely exhausted. A nap sounded like perfection and would take her mind off of everything wrong for at least an hour.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A pivotal chapter for these two pining idiots!! Fear not, they’ll get together..... eventually. Until then, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Thank you for reading and as always, feel free to leave a kudos or feedback if you’d like <3


	9. Chapter 9

The door to Cheers opens and in walks Sam with a new woman by his side. Each day of the week he had a new woman out with him for the evening. It wasn’t unusual behavior for him, but the last time she had spoken to him, Diane didn’t expect him to carry on like this. They hadn’t spoken all week except for the occasional exchange at work, even then their usual banter had gone down. They avoided each other and Diane would always opt to give drink orders to Coach instead. It wasn’t what she wanted but after watching him walk in the day after she turned him down with another woman, she couldn’t handle it. It tore her heart right in half because she thought even though she had hurt him that they would talk through things. That wasn’t the case, he completely ignored her the first night so she gave up and now, a full week later, she had given up and tried to deal with watching him act like he genuinely gave a damn about these other women. 

“Coach fix my friend here, Jane-”

“Juliet” his date cuts off and corrects.

He waves his hand, “right Juliet, here whatever she wants.”

The older man nods as Sam steps away from his date and toward his office, “comin’ right up Sam.”

Diane eyes follow Sam all the way to his office as she stands over by a table, having just wiped it down. She couldn’t help but long for him. This game if ignoring each other wasn’t any fun for her. She had many things she wanted to talk to him about like they always would but instead she was keeping them to herself. Like how last night the baby was kicking all night long, a whole lot more than usual and how she had wondered what it meant. Maybe they knew about their parents fighting and hated it or maybe they were just becoming a lot more active than they have been. She had an appointment tomorrow with the doctor and had no idea if he was upholding his promise to take her because he wouldn’t talk to her. 

Sighing, she walks back over to the bar and sets down her tray, “Coach would you mind covering for me? I need to go chat with Sam.”

He nods, “good luck.” Coach knew the two weren’t talking, pretty much every regular at the bar knew they weren’t. They had become such a staple to the place that when they were fighting everyone knew by how they would act toward another. 

Diane quietly thanks him and goes over to Sam’s office, lightly knocking on his door. All of the sudden she was feeling a few knots in her stomach, nervous about how this would go. She didn’t want to fight in front of the bar, she’d rather they fight alone so that they weren’t disrupting everyone. That and so that the entire bar didn’t know their business.

The door open a minute later, “Sam… can we chat?”

He looks around, completely ignoring her, “did one of you knock on my door?”

Annoyance strikes through her at that but she holds it back, “please don’t do this… I just want to talk.”

“Norm did you say something?” Sam questions.

Norm slides off his regular barstool and shakes his head, “leave me out of this Sammy” he insists before walking toward the pool room with Cliff following behind.

“Sam…” her annoyance levels begins to rise alongside with her sadness. “Can we please chat?”

He continues looking past her, “it’s the strangest thing, I feel like I keep hearing a voice but I must be making things up.”

Diane shakes her head and begins to untie her apron, “that’s it, I’m leaving.” She then turns back toward the bar and places the apron down as she walks by. He was being a major asshole and she wasn’t about to stick around for that. She didn’t care if this came out of her paycheck or if it made him upset. After the way she has been treated for the past week, she was fed up with being around him. 

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“So that’s it then huh? You’re just going to ignore me for the rest of time? Even after we just found out that we’re going to have a baby girl? I know you’re excited, Sam. I know you want to express that but you’d rather ignore me out of spite than celebrate our news. Fine, I’ll celebrate on my own.” They had just left the ob/gyn’s office and were on their way back to Cheers. Diane was surprised when Sam showed up to her apartment this morning to take her and all that he had said was that he was holding up his promise. It did warm her heart that he was doing that but either way it didn’t excuse how he had treated her for a week and was still treating her. He was currently ignoring her even after finding out they be parents to a little girl in five months. A little girl who she was sure he was going to make his little princess and do anything to protect her. As she had told him, she knew he was excited even if he wouldn’t talk. She knew him well enough to know that he was over the moon about this. He would’ve been over the moon regardless of gender, still she knew that this had to be hard for him to contain the excitement. It seemed that giving her the cold shoulder was more important that celebrating the news. 

When he doesn’t say anything in return to that Diane shrugs, “that’s fine. You can stay quiet all you want Mr. Malone. In fact, I encourage it let’s just get back to the bar so I can get the hell away from you and celebrate on my own terms.” After the way he acted yesterday she had grown more angry at him for all of this. Of course she was still sad by it all and just wanted to make up but her anger had built up and she was done with the whole situation. If he wasn’t going to talk then she was done trying.

It takes about another fifteen minutes of silence until they arrive at Cheers and before they get out Diane turns to Sam, “I hope you realize by doing what you’re doing, you’re only pushing our intimate relationship further apart than it was previously. When you look back years from now regretting what you’ve done and wishing we could be together, don’t come crying to me. You did this to yourself. I never wanted any of this, but you took it too far and now I’m done. We can be apart of each other’s lives because of our child, I won’t take away your rights to see her, but that’s it. I don’t want anything to do with you anymore. In fact, I quit, effective immediately. I’ll be back in to collect my last check on Tuesday, but that’s it.”

During the rest of the ride she had only become more upset with him to the point where she decided enough was enough. She had to draw the line and stop waiting on him to come around. Did she know where she was going to work? Not at all but she would figure it out. Would she ever be able to love someone like she loved him? No, but she could find someone who made her happy. No more playing games, no more hoping he’d tell her he’d love her and they’d make up. Diane was done. After being met with more silence, she shakes her head and steps out of his car, making her way over to her own. 

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Late Tuesday night, another week after Diane had quit, she walks into the nearly empty bar seeing Carla and Coach finish up their closing tasks for the night. “Come on Coach, I’ll drive ya home” Carla says as she slides her jacket on. 

Coach nods and comes out from the bar but before he joins Carla, he walks up to Diane who was now standing just off the entrance. “Is he here?” she questions.

“In his office… I was sad to hear the news Diane…” the older man sighs which only makes her heart ache.

She pouts and pulls the father-like figure into a hug, “oh Coach, even if I’m not around anymore I’ll still come by to visit you. You’re one of the greatest friends I’ve ever had.”

They pull apart and he nods, “I sure hope you kids can work it out… All this fighting… I don’t like to see it.”

She sighs, feeling the knife only plunge further into her chest. It hurt to know this situation wasn’t only affecting the two of them, but their friends too. “I know… I don’t either. I’ll see you later okay? I should talk to him.”

Coach steps back, “Right, see you later Diane.” He then walks over to the door where Carla was waiting, before stepping out he calls to Sam in his office, “Goodnight Sammy!” The two then step out of the bar. 

“Goodnight Coach!” Sam calls back only a second later, opening the door to his office only to be greeted by the sight of Diane. He was slightly shocked to see her, thinking when she hadn’t shown up earlier in the day that he’d just have to mail her last check but here she was. He couldn’t lie, his heart was pounding at the sight of her. He couldn’t even begin to explain how bad her felt but it seemed like this time he had really done it. 

“Oh, I didn’t think you were going to show.”

Diane shifts in her stance, “so I take it we’re back on speaking terms then?”

“Listen-” Sam begins only to be cut off immediately.

“No, you listen. I don’t think you understand the absolute hell you have put me through these past two weeks. I know what I did hurt you and I’m sorry. You need to understand that I did what I did because I spent four months trying to convince myself I loved Frasier the way I wanted to. I couldn’t just run back into your arms the second I broke up with him because I already hurt him enough by not loving him and using him to get over you. For you to treat me like you did bringing woman after woman in here every night and ignoring me for a week straight, that was lower than low. I thought you changed, you showed so much improvement. I know you have a heart in there even if you try to deny it and part of me wants to still believe you changed. The other part doesn’t care and never wants to see your face again. So, you decide. Either tell me how sorry you are for hurting me or give me the check and I’m gone and you’ll only see me when you see our daughter.” Diane was beyond hurt and though it wasn’t at the same level of hurt as their breakup, it was close. 

Sam stands there quietly after she speaks and then pulls the envelope out from his pocket, holding it out in front of him. She could physically feel another crack go through her heart as she looks down at the envelope in front of her. So this is it, the three months they had spent growing and finding their trust in each other again was gone. All of it a waste. “Fine” she says and grabs the envelope, turning quickly on one heel do she can get out of here. 

While walking toward the door she hears from behind her, “you’re right.”

Stopping in her tracks, she turns back around and walks all the way back over to him. “What did you say?” 

Sam looks down then back up at her, “I said you’re right. I was an asshole, lower than an asshole, I was scum. I shouldn’t have done what I did to you, bringing in all of those women and ignoring you.I was just so upset that after hoping for a long time, long before you came back, that we’d get back together and let myself spiral when you turned me down. It was shitty to do and… I’m sorry, very sorry.”

Diane crosses her arms and stares at him for a moment before saying, “it’s going to take a whole lot more than an apology for me to forgive you.” 

He nods, “I know.” Maybe they wouldn’t get together for another month or so, maybe longer, or maybe not at all. It didn’t matter because he knew he screwed up and now he was willing to wait as long as he had to. He assumed she’d make him wait a year or so just to really make him pay for what he had done.

There was another moment of silence, Diane stares into his eyes and takes note of sincerity in them. She then takes a step forward and wraps her arms around him in a tight hug. It was hard to continue staying mad and holding back on her feelings. Yes, she was hurt and was upset with him, but all she wanted was for their relationship to get back on track. She wanted things to work out because she loved him more than words could ever begin to describe. At first she doesn’t say anything and just holds him but after a minute she says, “I’m still mad at you.”

The hug came as a surprise to Sam but he wasn’t going to argue, this was more than what he expected from her after how he treated her. “I know… and I’m sorry for hurting you” he says quietly. 

Diane pulls back a little but only to reposition herself to rest her head against his chest, “I know” she replies.

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Diane fingers play absentmindedly with his own as the two lay in his bed a little under an hour later. She didn’t expect to end up at his apartment after their talk, but when they held each other for so long she found herself not wanting to let go. That was always the case for her but they hadn’t held each other like this in a while not counting when he stayed the night after her unexpected trip to the hospital. When he suggested going back to his place, she couldn’t turn him down, she didn’t want to. Nothing happened when arrived surprisingly, though they did share a few kisses. Diane had made it very clear she wanted to stick with kisses for the night regardless of his complaints. She was proud of herself for not giving in to her desires at least for the night, she needed more time for them to come back from the past two weeks. 

“You know, there’s one more thing that I’d like you to do before I forgive you” she says as they lay cuddled up under the sheets. 

Sam looks down at her, his fingers doing their own absentminded playing with her hair. “What’s that sweetheart?”

She pulls her hand from his own and holds up her pinky finger, “promise me that you won’t do anything like that ever again.”

He raises a brow, “a pinky promise? Diane don’t you think that’s a little grade school-like?” 

A pout comes to her lips and she begins to pull out of his embrace, “if you think it’s childish then there’s really no point.”

“Wait wait wait don’t leave” he insists and pulls her back into his arms. He wasn’t trying to imply that it was childish to suggest a pinky promise but he certainly wasn’t expecting her to say that’s what she wanted.

Diane turns in his arms to face him completely and holds up her pinky finger, “lock pinky’s with me and repeat after me… but only if you care about my forgiveness,” she insists.

“Of course I care” he replies and locks one of his pinky’s with her own. Sam couldn’t remember the last time he made a pinky promise with someone but it didn’t matter. If this meant a lot to her then it meant a lot to him, he just wanted to earn her forgiveness.

“Repeat after me: I Samuel Malone,” she begins.

So he was being full named? It had been awhile since she called him Samuel, usually when she did that meant he was in trouble. “I Samuel Malone…”

“hereby promise that I will never ever,”

once again he follows after her, “hereby promise that I will never ever…”

“treat my girlfriend as if she is any less than me or all trust will be lost,” she finishes. 

The second he hears her say the word girlfriend his heart speeds up and his stomach begins doing gymnastics. Girlfriend? Had she said that on accident? Either way he finishes his promise, “treat my girlfriend as if she is any less than me or all trust will be lost.”

Diane smiles once he finishes and pulls her hand away, “thank you… it means a lot that you did that for me Sam.”

“Did you mean to say that?” he questions.

“Say what?” 

“You referred for yourself as my girlfriend” he points out.

She nods, “maybe it’s too soon to label things, but it’s what I would like to be… as long as it’s what you want.” Diane had spent too long denying how she felt, holding down inside that she had always been in love with him. She had spent too long standing in the way of her own happiness. Now they were in a new place and their situation was a bit messy, she definitely still felt somewhat bad for going back to him even after nearly three weeks of being broken up with Fraiser. However, what was the point in waiting? She didn’t want to possibly lose Sam to someone else or have him become so tired of waiting that his feelings went away. The timing wasn’t the most ideal, but she knew what her heart wanted. 

He had to admit that he was surprised again by her forwardness, but he was relieved to hear that she wanted this with him. Sam didn’t know how long it would take them to be in a “normal” place again but he didn’t care how long he’d have to wait. As long as he knew she wanted to be with him just as he wanted to be with her. “It is what I want” he confirms.

That brings a smile to her face and she leans in, pressing a slow and heartfelt kiss to his lips before pulling back again. “Good, then we’re on the same page.” That was all she could ask for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s about time these two got together!! Well, it’s only a start for them but it’s a push in the right direction. Anyway, thank you all for reading this chapter! And you know the drill as always feel free to leave a kudos or feedback if you’d like!


	10. Chapter 10

Turning the page of her book, Diane hums quietly as she lays in bed enjoying the silence of the morning. She wasn’t usually one to get up early and usually favored sleeping in, but this morning she found herself awake earlier than usual and decided to take the quiet hours to herself to read and just enjoy the silence. It had been awhile since she just took time to herself and settled in bed with a book. Ever since she and Sam started rekindling their romance two months ago, she found she didn’t have a whole lot of time to herself anymore. She didn’t mind it though because she enjoyed having him around all the time. She sometimes wondered why they weren’t living together when they so easily fell back into the habit of spending multiple days at the other’s apartment. Sam wasn’t the only thing keeping her busy either, her job took up a majority of her time too. Not to mention when she did have a free moment it was to rest her eyes from how exhausted she was. Being pregnant on top of all that kept her busy only made her twice as drained as she usually was. That meant taking as many naps as she could or baths. For now though, she could take her free time and just enjoy a good novel which was something she truly loved doing. 

Diane was deep into the book before being pulled out of it by the phone on her bedside table blaring. “Well it was fun while it lasted” she sighs. Whoever was calling had better be quick, the plot of the story was really picking up and she wanted to get back to reading immediately.

She picks up the phone right away and greets, “hello, this is Diane Chambers speaking.”

“Diane, it’s Coach…” his voice was more sorrowful than usual which was strange to her right off the bat. Coach was usually an upbeat guy and could put her in a good mood in an instant. Hearing sorrow in his voice sent worry right through her. 

Placing aside her book and sitting up further in bed, she questions the older man, “Coach… is something wrong?”

There’s a pause before he says anything, “I’m at Boston Mass General… I need you to come over here.”

Her heart hits her stomach as she hears him say that. God what had happened? It was only seven in the morning, everyone she knew had to still be sleeping or at least hanging out in their own homes. A terrifying thought looms over her as she tries to think of what had happened. God, did something happen to Sam? She hadn’t heard from him since last night but she didn’t expect to until she got to work. Sometimes he’d call her beforehand and they’d go in together but usually they’d just see each other once her shift started and she’d steal him away whenever she could. Something couldn’t have happened, could it? “Coach what happened? Is it Sam?” What if he had started drinking again and she didn’t know it? Maybe he got drunk in got into a terrible accident. No, no he wouldn’t break his sobriety again for no reason. There were millions upon millions of terrible situations her brain was scanning, hoping none of them to be true.

“I think it’s best if you just come now” Coach insists.

Right away, Diane pulls herself off the bed as quick as she can with her bump being as large as it is. She then hangs up the phone, knowing she needed to get out of her apartment as quickly as she could. She was terrified something happened to Sam. She couldn’t do this parenting thing without him. 

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The entire drive over to Boston Mass General was filled with Diane’s mind running wild with possibilities of what she was going to arrive to when she got to the hospital. What if Sam was in surgery after a terrible car accident? What if they were trying to save his life but we’re failing to do so? What was she supposed to do without him? He was so much more to her than just the father of her child. He was her best friend and the thought of not having him around anymore absolutely shattered her heart. When she had first learned of her pregnancy she was fully prepared to be a single mother but now that she knew she had him around to be there for their child, she didn’t want to do this alone. She wanted him to be part of their daughter’s life milestones, it was something they were going to experience together. No, no there was absolutely no way she was going to accept that something terrible had happened to him. He was going to be there for everything just like they planned. They were going to build their life together and grow old together just like she imagined they would. He was fine and she couldn’t let herself accept anything else. 

Stepping into the lobby, Diane looks around and within a minute spots Coach walking up to her. He had a glum look but he wasn’t in tears or entirely too sad so maybe that was a good sign. “Coach… please tell me what happened” she says when he reaches her. 

“Follow me” he says softly and turns toward the hallway where the elevators were. The two step in when one opens and her hands rest on her belly as they ride up to the second floor. When the doors open he leads her to room 208. There on the other side of the door was Sam lying in a hospital bed, out light a light. He had an IV in one arm and a doctor standing next to him. Her heart drops further the second she sees him and she rushes into the room. “Sammy?” she manages to utter. 

The doctor turns as Diane fights back her tears, beyond worried that all of her fears were true. “Are you his wife?”

She shakes her head, “his girlfriend.” She then looks past the doctor and at Sam, who thankfully looked unharmed and untouched which was a good sign. Still, that didn’t explain why he was here.

Nodding, the doctor replies, “well it seems your boyfriend overdosed on pain relief pills. Not to worry, we’ve taken care of stopping the pills from doing more damage than they’ve already done.”

Part of her feels relief wash over her while the other feels a strike of worry. Overdose? Why in the world would Sam ever overdose? “Is he okay?” she questions.

The doctor nods, “he will be but he’ll be out for a little while. He’s stable now and we’re making sure he’s getting enough fluids. The most that can be done is waiting until he wakes up.”

Diane thanks the doctor before he steps out and turns back to Coach, who was standing in the doorway. “What happened?” she questions. Of course Coach didn’t have all the answers and she wouldn’t know the full story until Sam woke up but she at least wanted part of it. 

Coach approaches her and she puts and arm around him as they both look down at Sam, still completely out of it. “I don’t know… he was supposed to come over early because we agreed on doing breakfast like we do sometimes and he didn’t come. I drove to his apartment and thankfully I have an extra key… so I went in and found him in the bathroom. He was vomiting blood sometime before he passed out and I called 911. Now here we are” he explains.

A sigh comes from her, it didn’t make sense as to why he would overdose. She always did everything she could to check in on him. Was there something going on that he wasn’t telling her about? 

There’s a few minutes of silence before Coach speaks again, “he hasn’t said anything about… being unhappy has he?”

Diane shakes her head, “no… I don’t know what this is about.” That was really what worked her most. If there was something else going on, why hadn’t he told her? They were trying to be better at communicating and part of that was being as open as possible about feelings. Surely he wasn’t feeling suicidal, he has never expressed feeling that way before in his life. She knew that he felt like a disappointment a lot of the time which was part of what led his spiral into alcoholism but overdosing on pills? It just didn’t seem like something he would do.

Soon there was a knock at the door and on the other side stood Carla, Norm, and Cliff. Diane glances at them before over at Coach, “I’m going to head over to Sam’s apartment and get him a change of clothes… he’ll definitely need it.”

Coach nods, “are you sure you want to go alone?”

She glances over at Sam for a moment then back at Coach, “yes. I’ll be okay and I’ll be back soon.”

He gives her a gentle hug before stepping out of her way. Carla, Cliff, and Norm had just stepped in and she quickly thanks them for being there for Sam before stepping out. If Diane was honest, she just needed a moment to herself to process all of this.

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Standing in Sam’s bedroom, Diane carries some of his clothes from his dresser to his bed where she had a bag waiting to be packed. She hoped he would only be in the hospital for a couple of days so she was packing light. Something comfortable to wear while he was still out and something to change into when he left so he could go right back into Cheers if he wanted. 

As she’s packing the bag, she turns her head and notices a picture frame sitting on his bedside table. She was just at his place a few days ago and it wasn’t there, this was new. Grabbing the frame, Diane takes a seat on his bed for a moment and looks down at it. Inside was a picture that opened a memory she didn’t even know she had locked away. The picture was of her and one she didn’t want Sam to take. It had been during their first go at an intimate relationship he had bought a new camera, the Canon F-1. He had insisted on having a picture of his girlfriend to keep in his apartment, he already had some of her in his wallet but wanted something bigger, something for a frame. When he pulled out the camera she turned him down only because she felt that she looked awful and surely he didn’t want a picture of her in that state sitting somewhere in his apartment. She had on no makeup, had only woken up a little over ten minutes ago, and the nightgown she had on wasn’t nearly as flattering as any of her other outfits. Sam insisted he didn’t care about any of that and that he thought she looked beautiful as she was. It made her heart melt because they were still somewhat in the early stages of their relationship. Despite making her swoon, she still turned him down and he agreed to not take her picture. However, when she wasn’t looking he snapped one anyway which she scolded him for. Only lightly because she hadn’t been that mad about it and she couldn’t be after what he had said to her.

Diane couldn’t believe he still had this picture, she hadn’t seen it after that day. He must’ve forgotten to get it developed or if he did, he must’ve never gotten the chance to put it up. Now here it was in a frame that rested on his bedside table every night. She was so glad he hadn’t listened to her that day, seeing the picture after all this time brought back the beautiful memory that went along with it and reminded her just how much she loved him. That’s when the floodgates open and tears start running down her cheeks, she knew he was okay and he was going to be fine but the thought that he could’ve died from overdosing was really settling in. What would she have done if she had to go on without him? It was a terrifying thought. Diane wipes a tear from the picture frame when she realizes how much she had been crying. She then wipes her eyes and sets the frame back in its place. She needed to finish packing this bag and not think about what could’ve been, just that Sam was still with them and he was going to be okay. She couldn’t even begin to explain how grateful she was for that.

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Sam’s eyes flutter open and he finds himself coming to in a hospital room. The first sight his eyes land on is Diane sitting in a chair next to his bed, her nose buried in a book while she awaited him to wake. “Hi there” he says softly. 

Her head shoots up from the book when she hears his voice, “you’re awake” she says with a bright smile. Diane was beyond relieved to see that he was finally up again, after two days of being out she was worried about how much longer it was going to be.

Standing up slowly, she leans over him and grabs a pillow, “Are you comfortable?”

“As comfortable as I can be,” he replies.

“Good” Diane says just moments before whacking him with the pillow she had grabbed. It wasn’t a hard hit or anything, but enough to get her point across. “What the hell were you thinking?!” she exclaims.

“Ow Diane! What was that for?” he asks, absolutely confused. He didn’t even fully know why he was at a hospital, all he remembered was throwing up blood before everything went black. Now he was here in a hospital and for some reason Diane felt the need to hit him with a pillow.

“You’ve been out for two days because you overdosed on pain relief pills. What the hell were you thinking taking more than recommended? You could’ve died!” Of course Diane was delighted that he was awake again but she couldn’t help but be upset that he had done this. She knew he wasn’t having suicidal thoughts, that couldn’t be the reason he took too many pills.

He sighs, “it was an accident. After we got off the phone that night I was having trouble sleeping because of some back pain I was having so… I took a few extra pills without reading the recommendation hoping that it would ease my pain so I could fall asleep. I guess that didn’t exactly work out” Sam explains. He suddenly felt horrible for putting not only Diane but all of his friends through this. She was right, he could’ve died.

“It certainly didn’t,” Diane sighs then looks down at the floor, fighting back the urge to cry again. Her emotions weren’t exactly as in order as she tried to keep them while pregnant. Not to mention she already had an overactive brain so that didn’t exactly help her situation any. 

Sam scoots over in his hospital bed and pats the area next to him, “come here.” He could see that she was upset by all of this and he felt terrible. It was never his intent for any of this to happen. 

She looks up again, sniffling, “Sam… you’re in a hospital bed. The two of us can’t fit on there.”

“Has that ever stopped you?” he asks.

A small smile comes to her face and she shakes her head, “not particularly… no. However, I am seven months pregnant and not as tiny as I used to be.”

He gives her an unamused look, “Diane… even seven months pregnant you’re still small, I think we can both fit. Besides, when we cuddle you use me as a pillow anyway.”

Diane considers for a few seconds before nodding, “okay you’re right, you’re right,” she adds another smile the carefully climbs into the hospital bed with him. 

There was definitely limited room to move around but with Diane on her side, resting her head on his shoulder and cuddling as close as she could, they made it work. His hand gently rubs her side and he lets out a breath before saying, “listen… I’m really really sorry for not being more careful with the medicine. I never meant to scare you like this.”

“It’s okay… I just wish you would’ve called me” she admits.

“I figured you were getting settled in bed and didn’t want to be disturbed… besides you mentioned how the baby kept you up the night before and I know you were exhausted” he explains.

Diane shifts a little and looks up at him, “I would’ve been there anyway to take care of you” her hand comes to rest on his cheek, her thumb gently rubbing along it, “part of being your girlfriend means I want to take care of you and take your pain away.” Had she been there she would’ve been able to comfort him and more importantly, stop him from taking too much medication. 

He nods, bringing his hand up to her own to move it to his lips. He gently places a kiss to her hand, “this won’t happen again” he assures.

“It better not or you will be girlfriend-less” she teases. 

“Hey don’t even joke about that” he protests.

Diane smiles a little, “don’t worry my love, it’s going to take a whole lot to get rid of me the second time around.”

“Good thing I have no plans of that.”

She smiles, leaning up a little further, “good thing” she hums before pressing a gentle and slow kiss to his lips. 

Once they break apart Diane looks out into the hallway, knowing Coach would be here soon. She turns back to Sam, “there is one more thing I want you to do.”

“What’s that? Lock the door and dim the lights before the nurses return?” he jokes.

She rolls her eyes and gently hits his chest, “No, pull your head out of the gutter for just a second. This is serious” her entire tone changes as she says that. 

Now he was concerned, he was out for two days so he could’ve missed anything. “What is it?”

Diane takes a breath before telling him, “the morning you passed out… Coach was the one who found you. He hasn’t said a whole lot to me, but I know it had him really shaken up. I know he’s been nearly as worried as I’ve been about you. He thinks of you as his son and I think you should talk to him” she explains.

A pain strikes through Sam’s chest at that. He had no idea that Coach was the one who found him and he hated that he was. Not that he wanted Diane to find him in that state either, but still, he didn’t like to think about what Coach’s reaction was. He felt even worse for putting him through that, knowing that it probably reminded Coach of his boozing days. He nods, “okay… I can do that.”

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The older man sits across from Sam’s bed about fifteen minutes later. It was just him and Sam, Diane had gone out to talk to his doctor about releasing him soon. Sam takes in a deep breath and lets it out slow before speaking, “Coach… I’m sorry you had to be the one to find me and I’m sorry I ruined our breakfast plans.”

He shakes his head, “it’s okay… I’m just glad you’re doing okay now.”

Sam knew it wasn’t okay, he couldn’t imagine what it was like for Coach to find him passed out by a toilet like he had done several times before during his worst drinking days. No matter what, Coach had was always the one cleaning up his mess. He couldn’t even count the number of times Coach had been the one to try to get him sober for games. Throwing water and coffee down his throat at every chance they got so Sam wouldn’t make a fool of himself on the field. Sometimes it worked and a lot of the times, it didn’t. He owed Coach more than he could ever dream of giving. “It’s not okay. You shouldn’t have been put in that position and I really am sorry” Sam insists. 

The older man is silent for a few seconds before saying, “it just… reminded me of when you were at your absolute worst, Sammy. I always hated seeing you like that. When I saw you like that again the other night… I feared the worst.”

He feels another hit at his chest, “well besides an apology I really owe you a thank you. You’ve done so much for me over the years and continue to do so. I don’t even know how many of my messes you’ve cleaned up, but thank you. You’ve always been like a father to me” Sam admits.

Coach nods, “that’s what I’m for, Sammy. I’m always going to clean up your messes and look after you. After all, you’ve always been like a son to be and that’s what fathers do.”

Some of the pain in his chest begins to wither away when he hears Coach say that. It meant more to him than he could explain to actually hear that Coach thought of him as a son. His relationship with his actual father had never been that great so having a father-like figure, someone as kind and overall a delight to be around as Coach was an honor. 

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It isn’t until much later in the day that Sam is released from the hospital. It wasn’t so bad though, all of his friends had passed through to visit again and say hello now that he was awake. Even Norm got off his barstool for a few minutes to inform Sam on what he missed out on for two days. Of course when they weren’t around, he had Diane to keep him company in the very uncomfortable hospital bed. 

When the two finally step into his apartment, he lets out a sigh of relief. “Well… this day has been all too long for me, I don’t know about you sweetheart” Sam mentioned as she helps him slide out of his jacket. He was still somewhat weak and low on energy so she didn’t mind helping him get around the place until he settled down. 

“These past two days have felt like one exceedingly long day, so yes, I agree” Diane says and hangs up his coat. 

It takes both a little bit of time to wind down but eventually they retire to his bed and Diane lets out a major sigh of relief when her back settles into his mattress. Her hands then come up to her bump and gently rub it as she lets herself fully relax.

Sam gets settled next to her and scoots closer, “how are you feeling?” he asks as his hand comes to her belly too. 

“I’m okay and baby Malone is okay too, both are just very very tired” she says and yawns just seconds after. She wasn’t going to make him feel worse about all of this but she hadn’t slept very well with him in the hospital. For one, she couldn’t exactly stay at the hospital no matter how hard she tried to get them to let her. Two, she would be in and out of sleep because of how worried she was about him. Then of course there was the fact that sleeping without him was becoming increasingly more difficult. That was something she criticized herself for, letting her be so attached in that way. She couldn’t help it though, having his comfort made it so much easier. 

Sam wraps his arms around her and brings her closer, “get some rest sweetheart” he says softly. 

Diane nods and cuddles holds him tightly, letting herself just take a few minutes to think before she completely fall asleep. While doing this, a thought she has entertained a few times before floats back around. Now was the best time to bring it up, “Sam?”

His fingers were gently tracing along her back, trying to help her become more relaxed so she’d get to sleep quicker. “Hmm?”

“I want to move in together” she says softly.

“What?” he questions, making sure he heard that right.

Diane pulls away and looks up at him, “I want to move in together… I’m tired of going back and forth between apartments and I want to see you every night before I fall asleep and every morning when I wake up. I don’t like living apart anymore.”

Sam was shocked to hear her say this but absolutely delighted, “I want that too, more than anything. But, do you want to move here?” he questions.

She shakes her head, “I want our own house… somewhere our daughter can have her own room, where our neighbors aren’t sharing a wall with us, where we can grow our family, where we can grow old together…” 

He nods, usually he was one to back away from commitment but once he had committed to being a father, any other commitment wasn't as scary. In fact, he knew he wanted to propose at some point but he didn’t know when. “Okay… we can start looking for houses right away” he agrees.

A smile comes across her face then she presses a quick kiss to his lips, “I love you so much,” she says.

“I love you more” he insists. 

“Not possible” she hums and kisses him one more fine before resting her head back down to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me just say, I came up with this chapter idea at one in the morning like a week ago and wasn’t sure if I was going to do it but I’m so glad I did. I really like how this chapter turned out and I hope you all agree. Thank you for reading and as always feel free to leave a kudos or some feedback if you wanna!


	11. Chapter 11

Diane walks down the aisle of Hurley’s Market and looks around for the peanut butter. For the past two days she had been craving it like crazy and her cart was already filled with two bags of Reese’s peanut butter cups but that wasn’t enough, she wanted the real deal. Sometimes she’d just take a jar of peanut butter and eat straight from it as a snack. It was one of the more tame pregnancy cravings she had. Her cart was also filled with two cartons of orange juice, another tame pregnancy craving. One of her more out of the box and gross cravings was hot Cheetos dipped in yogurt. Sam made a face every time she would make that snack but she couldn’t help the cravings. Those two items were also in her cart. 

As soon as she spots the peanut butter her eyes light up and she grabs four jars of it off the shelf. Turning back to the cart, she spots Sam walking toward her with two cartons of lemonade for her. “I see you found the peanut butter, are you taking their entire stock?” he teases as he places the lemonade down into the cart. 

“Well, I thought about it… but then I remembered we’re not millionaires so four will do” she smiles and walks over to him after placing the jars into the cart. Pushing up onto her tippy toes, she presses a soft and gentle kiss to his lips, “thank you for helping me satisfy my cravings.”

He smiles, “as long as it keeps you happy” she then feels a hand on her bump, “both of you happy” he adds. 

That makes her smile wide and kiss him again just a little longer this time. Pulling away she hums, “I can assure baby Malone and mommy are very happy.” Diane then steps back behind their cart and maneuvers it around him. “I’m going to go pick up a few more things then I’ll be ready to go.”

Sam nods, “I’m going to pick up a couple of foods that I’ve been craving and I’ll meet you at the checkout.”

She nods and leans over to her quickly kiss him on the cheek before walking out of the aisle. As she steps out, she stops at the end of the aisle to look at what was on display, Oreos, which sounded like a delightful pair with her oreos. A smile comes to her face and just as she’s reaching for the Oreos, a rather burly older man bumps into her but not just gently, so hard that she nearly loses her balance but is luckily caught just in time before she falls by Sam. He had seen the whole interaction since he was headed in the same direction as her. 

Sam helps her straighten back up and steps in front of her, “are you okay sweetheart?”

She was visibly shaken up, having been only mere seconds from falling and if Sam hadn’t been there in time she could’ve hit the ground hard. Diane blankly stares at the ground for a moment before nodding, “y-yeah… I’m okay. It’s okay…” she assures, looking back up at him.

His anger begins to build as he sees the man continue carrying on his shopping like nothing had happened. “It’s not okay,” he answers and begins to pull away.

Diane grabs Sam’s hand before he completely walks away, “Sam, please, let’s just leave it alone. I’m okay and I just want to grab my snacks and go home” she insists. The two had been living in his apartment for a little under a month now, after his trip to the hospital she didn’t want to not be there every night. All she wanted was to go home and satisfy her cravings, she didn’t care about that guy. Well, maybe she did a little, but not to the extent he did. 

He looks back at her, softening a little but nonetheless still feeling angered at this asshole stranger. Glancing back at the man, Sam shakes his head, “I’m sorry sweetheart but it’s not okay, he can’t just get away with nearly knocking down an eight months pregnant woman.” Sam then pulls out of her grasp and walks over to the burly man who was in a dark green jacket, glancing at the dairy aisle. 

Sam taps on the man's shoulder who turns around with a huff, “you owe my girlfriend an apology” he says sternly. The man had a beard, he was large and very muscular and yet shorter than Sam. Of course the man was twice Sam’s size and could probably crush him like a bug, but being taller did make him a little more confident. 

“Who the fuck are you?” The gruff, low voice rings out from the man. 

Anger sizzles inside of him but he holds it down, he wasn’t trying to cause a scene but that clearly wasn’t working because people’s heads were already turning. “I’m Sam, and over there” he motions to where Diane was standing and watching with the cart, still somewhat shaken up, “that’s my girlfriend, she’s eight months pregnant with our daughter. You bumped so hard into her that you almost knocked her, a pregnant woman, to the ground. You owe her an apology.”

The man shakes his head, “I don’t owe anyone shit” he replies.

Sam steps closer, not feeling intimidated in the slightest by this man. “Apologize to my girlfriend or you’re not going to like the consequences.”

“What are you gonna do twig? Hit me with your tiny fists?” The man taunts. 

All of Sam’s anger boils up into one burst and he punches the guy square in the face for that comment. It wasn’t long until there was a full on fight happening and Diane off to the side yelling at Sam to stop. She didn’t ask him to do this and honestly just wanted to go home so she could snack on a jar of peanut butter. It takes several minutes and a couple of other male customers to pull the men off of each other. A few people in charge had come by then and began escorting the two toward the door which only made Diane more frustrated. She had a cart full of items to checkout and Sam was being pulled out of the store. This was not how she wanted their trip to the grocery store to go. 

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“You know you didn’t have to hit him so hard” Diane remarks as she gently cleans the wound just below Sam’s eye, who winces at her touch. She was standing in front of him and he was seated on the toilet since he was too tall for her to reach his face. At first when Sam was kicked out and then banned from the market, Diane was furious. She couldn’t believe that he made such a scene like that and though she loved that it was for good reason and not only that but for her, it was something he should’ve just walked away from. Now that a little bit of time had passed and she had her time giving him a little bit of the silent treatment, she wasn’t furious anymore. Definitely still annoyed but she’d get over that. For now she was content with taking care of him, after all she wasn’t going to stay upset for long and she did enjoy taking care of him. 

Turning toward the sink next to her, she wets her cloth again and turns back to him, going for the cut on his forehead next. “He was a total asshole, you nearly hit the ground hard if I wasn’t there in time. I don’t even want to think about what could’ve happened if I wasn’t.” Sam knew that maybe he had overstepped and shouldn’t have punched the guy but then again he didn’t regret it. Something horrible could’ve happened to her, to their baby. He wasn’t going to stand by and let that man act the way he did. 

“While I appreciate you looking out for me, you have to remember that you don’t have to fight all of my battles. I’d like to think I’m a pretty tough gal” she replies and places a bandaid over his forehead.

“You’re tougher than I’ll ever be that’s for sure” he nods and then lets out a sigh. “I am sorry though, I'm just protective of you and twice as much because you’re pregnant. Sitting back and doing nothing didn’t seem like an option” he admits.

Diane nods, putting a bandaid on the wound below his eye next. Everything else on his face were just bruises, including his eye, it somehow wasn’t black but it was definitely close. She didn’t know how he was keeping it open. “I know you’re sorry” she says as she puts away their first aid kit. When she turns around Sam was standing again and she takes his hands, “I love that you’re protective of me,” she places one of his hands on her stomach, “of us. I just want you to be careful okay? You’ve been getting yourself into a lot of trouble lately, first the hospital visit last month and now this. If you’re not careful then I’m going to be a single mother and I really don’t want that to happen.”

He nods, “it won’t… I promise I’ll stay out of trouble” he assures and then leans in, giving her a warm kiss. 

Pulling away Diane smiles, “mm… we’ll see how long that lasts” she teases.

“Aw come on you don’t believe I can do it?”

“I didn’t say that, but you don’t exactly have the best track record when it comes to staying out of trouble” she points out.

Sam considers for a moment and then nods, “I guess I do get into a lot of trouble don’t I?” he slightly chuckles.

She smiles, “you certainly do but that’s okay” she leans in a little closer, “I love my troublemaker anyway” she says right before planting another kiss to his lips. Diane steps back just after breaking, “by the way the appointment we have with our realtor in a few hours to see a house… I think it would be best for only me to go, I don’t want to have to explain to our realtor why you look like this” she explains. Besides she didn’t want it to reflect them poorly and make it seem like they weren’t the right fit for the home. She had a good feeling about this one even though they have only been looking for a month. She just had this feeling that maybe, just maybe, this house was going to be the one.

“Alright fair enough, but don’t make any offers without me okay?”

She nods, “no worries my love, I’ll consult you before making any decisions.” 

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Each step Diane took further into the house with the realtor, she fell more in love with the place. She could picture living there with Sam and raising their family,  
making this their forever home. She had this instinct like she knew that this decision was the right one and no other house was going to compare. Diane looks around one of the bedrooms as the realtor explains to her what type of room it could be. She had somewhat tuned her out as she started imagining this room as their daughter’s nursery. Once she was old enough for a crib, it could go in the corner of the room and right above it a mobile with the moon and stars. A smile comes to her face as she rests her hands on her belly, if Sam loved this place as much as she did, it wouldn’t be long until their little girl got to make this room her own. That filled her chest with warmth, she couldn’t believe that they were finally getting a house together. 

The two step out of the bedroom and move on down the hall to the master, which was twice as big as Sam’s bedroom at his apartment. It had a bathroom attached to it as well with both a tub and a shower. This house was too good to be real. Another smile comes to her face as she looks over the master bedroom, she could see their future there. Waking up every morning with Sam by her side, greeting each other with morning kisses. Every intimate moment they would share in here: from kissing to cuddling to making love. Once again it all felt right, like they were meant to live here and nowhere else. 

“Well, that’s it for our grand tour of the home. Now I must make it clear to you, there is another couple interested in the house so it’s important that you let me know as soon as possible if you would like to make a bid on it” the realtor explains.

Diane turns, “why don’t I make this easy for you then? We want the house, I can assure you my boyfriend will want this house as much as I do. Tell the owners we’re offering more than that other couple.” She didn’t want to risk losing this house, there was absolutely no way she could do that. She would never forgive herself if she didn’t at least try to fight for the house. 

The realtor nods, “alright I’ll let the homeowners know and once you give me an official number we'll get together soon to discuss whether or not they’d like to accept. I’ll be calling soon” she replies.

“Thank you Jan,” Diane nods before stepping out of the master bedroom and making her way down the stairs and out toward the door. She had a feeling Sam wasn’t going to be very pleased that she made an offer especially after agreeing that she would consult him before making any decisions. However, she knew he would call in love with the place just as she had, there was no way he wouldn’t. 

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“I thought we agreed on no decisions until we both saw the house?” Sam questions as they sit together on the couch, he was facing forward while she faced toward the door, her legs resting across his lap. 

“We did… but Sam I fell in love with the place” she repositions herself to be sitting right next to him and takes his hand. “Sam… I could see us living in that house, raising our little family together, making the most beautiful memories, grow-” she’s suddenly cut off by a loving kiss from him. That had come out of nowhere but she certainly wasn’t complaining. “-ing old together” she completes her sentence with a small smile.

He smiles right back at her, “you’re just really cute when you talk passionately about what you love.”

“Including when I talk about you hm?” she raises a brow.

“Maybe…” he says with a smirk.

She rolls her eyes at that before continuing on about the home, “I just know it’s the house Sammy. I know we’ve only been looking for houses for a month but… I’m so sure about this. I know you’ll feel the same when I take you there. It’s two stories, five bedrooms, three bathrooms, a basement, and so so much more” she was doing all that she could to convince him to fall in love with this place. Though that could really only be done by seeing it in person. 

“That’s a lot… are you sure we can even afford it?” he poses the dreaded question. 

Diane pauses for a few seconds, it definitely was a tad out of their budget but they could make up for it. “It’s a little out of our budget but we can pick up a few extra shifts and solve that in no time” she explains.

Sam gives her an unamused look, “Diane… you’re about to give birth” he reminds her and presses his hand to her belly.

“Yes but until I intend on working until I go into labor and nothing’s going to stop me” she rebuttals.

“Hey I’m not trying to stop you but as your boss, and more importantly, your boyfriend, I’m not going to have you work extra shifts while being near labor. You’re already exhausted enough as is” he explains.

A sigh comes from her, knowing he was right. She looks down at the couch and bites the inside of her cheek to hold back from any tears. No getting emotional, she couldn’t get emotional over a house that wasn’t even theirs. “I just…. I really love this house Sammy” she says softly, keeping her head down.

He could tell she was upset and that never sat well with him. Sam gently squeezes the hand he was still holding, “if you really love this house then we’ll figure something out. Though I’d really like to see it before we finalize anything.”

Diane lifts her head up, “really?” she questions softly.

He nods, “really, I want you to be happy more than anything.”

That makes her smile and bring her free hand to his cheek, “you make me the happiest woman alive” she says and leans in for a slow, passionate kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! We’re nearing the end of this fic but not just yet. Thank you so much for reading this chapter. As always, feel free to leave a kudos or feedback if you want.


	12. Chapter 12

It was a warm June night, all was silent in the Chambers-Malone household. For a little under a month they had been living in their new house. Not everything was unpacked, but enough for the time being. It was only a matter of time until their daughter was born so the two spent a lot of their time focusing on putting together the nursery. Of course for the first few months she’d be in a bassinet in their bedroom but they were doing everything they could to make sure the nursery would be ready for her. That was one of, if not the most important part about moving into this new home. Besides the nursery being worked on, their own bedroom was for the most part finished except the unpacking both still had to take care of. The next month was going to be somewhat chaotic of having to take care of their newborn whilst settling into their new home. It was most definitely stressful, but both were ready to handle it in the best way they knew how. 

It was around two in the morning and Diane was resting on her left side, as that was the most comfortable position for her. Sam was behind her and they had started off the night cuddling but were now wrapped up in their own sides of the bed. Her eyes were wide open as she laid there, staring at the wall. Sometime in the past five minutes she had started feeling contractions again. Now she was timing them to see if this was the real thing since she wasn’t due for another week. Only a little bit longer goes by before she begins to shake Sam awake. “Sam” she says in her regular voice, not bothering to whisper to get him up. There was no doubt that she was going into labor.

“Mmm….” he groans and tries to pull away from her grasp. 

Diane only shakes him harder, “Sam you need to get up.”

He turns toward her and sighs, “sweetheart… it's like two in the morning… what is it?” 

“My water just broke” she replies calmly. She figured they still had time, the contractions weren’t close enough for anything to be happening but they definitely needed to get to the hospital or she would be giving birth in their bed. 

He shoots up in bed right away, “why didn’t you lead with that?!” Immediately he jumps out of bed and over to the closet where her pre-packed bag for the hospital was.

Diane pulls herself out of bed just after and shrugs, “I like watching you squirm” she smiles and grabs the bag from his hand. “Don’t worry we have time, the contractions are far enough apart” she assures and leads him out of the bedroom, staying dressed in her nightgown.

“You’re really going to be the death of me” he exaggerates as he follows her out of the bedroom.

She holds back a laugh, “that’s the plan, Malone” she says and makes her way down the stairs.

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“I’m not sure I can do this… can’t someone else do this for me?” Diane questions as she looks up at Sam. It was over an hour later and she still hadn’t given birth but the contractions were growing closer, she was almost there. She was laying in a hospital bed with Sam at her side, holding her hand the entire time.

“Diane you once threw me over your shoulder like I was your purse and you were just about to go shopping. I’m pretty certain you could beat me in a fight and I’m not just saying that” he points out.

“Oh I certainly can beat you in a fight there’s no doubt about that. The contractions are starting to hurt more than they were and all of this is settling in. What if she hates me? What if I’m a terrible mother? What if she grows up, moves out, and never wants to talk to me again? I don’t even know what I’m doing…” Now that she was laying in a hospital bed inching closer to birth, to meeting their child, every fear she had was settling it. All of this was much more real— they were going to leave this hospital with a baby and for the rest of their lives were going to raise her and do everything they can to give her the best life.

Sam squeezes her hand, “you’re already a fantastic mother and I can guarantee that she’s going to love you. If she’s anything like you, then she’s going to have the biggest heart in the world and there’s no doubt that she will love you” he assures.

That makes her feel somewhat more secure and brings a smile to her face, “I think you mean if she’s anything like you then she’ll have the biggest heart in the world.” Diane brings his hand to her lips and presses a gentle kiss to it. 

Their small conversation did bring reassurance, they were a very loving pair. Both had hearts bigger than most, even though he never really admitted to it. That was okay because his actions always shined through with how much he truly cared and could love someone. There was no doubt that their child was going to be loved and cherished every single day. She couldn’t wait to teach her daughter about literature. Emily Dickinson, Shakespeare, Fitzgerald, Jane Austen, all of them and so many more. Diane had to admit she even looked forward to watching Sam teach her about baseball, which she knew he fully intended on doing. It definitely made part of her nervous to think about but if it was something they could bond over, she would never stop it no matter how much she would never understand any sport.

A little more time passes before the doctor steps back into the room, “ready to be parents?” They still had to check and see if she was dilated far enough but it almost definite that she was.

Diane glances over at Sam, who had a small smile on his face. She squeezes his hand and smiles in return before looking back at that doctor, “as we’ll ever be.”

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The birth wasn’t very long thankfully, taking about only half an hour in full. The pain wasn’t nearly as bad as it could’ve been without medication but that certainly didn’t stop Diane from nearly breaking Sam’s hand as she squeezed it tight in her own each time she had to push. Her head falls back against the pillow on the hospital bed as the room fills with cries of their daughter, she was exhausted. Sweat was pouring down her face but a nurse was right by her side, wiping it away. “Is she okay?” Diane questions as her breathing begins to steady again. She couldn’t believe she had done it, their daughter was finally here.

“She’s perfectly healthy” the doctor says as she slowly turns with their baby wrapped up in a blanket, freshly cleaned up and still crying. 

Tears fill her eyes as she hears that and sees the tiny bundle in the doctor's arms. The life she and Sam created out of their love was really here. The doctor approaches and carefully places her in Diane’s arms, making sure she was close to her chest. “Congratulations” the doctor says softly. 

The instant she lays her eyes on her daughter, Diane feels warmth flow throughout her. She already loved their little cherub so, so much. The tears continue pouring down her cheeks as she begins to calm the crying baby. It takes a little bit of time but with the sound of her heartbeat very close and the soothing sounds of her voice, the baby begins to relax. “Hi my beautiful little girl… I’m your mommy” the waterworks were at it again and she quickly wipes them away before sniffling, “I love you more than you will ever imagine.” 

She then looks up at Sam, who had been quietly standing there the whole time. He was in shock that he was staring down at their baby. It all finally and completely settled that they were parents now and forever. He had his own tears as he looked down at the tiny bundle in her arms. Diane gives him a loving smile, “would you like to hold her daddy?”

He nods and carefully gets onto the hospital bed with her, somehow there was enough room for them both. Slowly and carefully, Diane transfers their daughter to his arms and smiles as she watches him with him.

His heart melts the instant he lays his eyes on hers, “hi princess… I’m your daddy. I’m always going to be there to watch after you and love you just like mommy. I love you so much, so much more than I ever thought I could” he admits.

Diane smiles again and rests her head down on his shoulder, watching as their little girl stares curiously at them both. She hadn’t made a sound since Diane calmed her. It seemed she was just taking in the world around her.

The doctor, who had been cleaning up and doing some paperwork along with the nurse, steps back over to the bed and smiles. “Do you have a name yet?”

Sitting up again, Diane nods, “Elizabeth May Malone” she smiles.

“May?” Sam questions, they hadn’t settled on a middle name previously and he didn’t know she had. 

She turns to him and nods, “in honor of my mayday.”

Once again his heart was just about to explode. If there was one thing that he hadn’t been expecting in regard to their daughter’s name, it was definitely that. Even as her father, he didn’t think he deserved an honor as high as having her named after him. Sam quickly kisses her on the lips before looking back down at Elizabeth, “one of these days daddy will tell you all about where your middle name came from.” He couldn’t wait to teach her about baseball and make her into his little prodigy. 

Diane thanks the doctor and the nurse for everything before they step out. She then leans into him, “do you mind if I steal her back?” She already missed having the little ray of sunshine in her arms.

Sam nods, “not at all” he then carefully hands Elizabeth back off to Diane, who slightly begins to fuss at that. 

Diane sticks her bottom lip out in pout and brings her daughter close, “oh I know princess, I don’t like having to leave daddy’s arms either. It’s okay, he’s right here and isn’t going anywhere” she says in a soothing voice and brings Elizabeth as close as she can to her chest. Just then she looks up as she feels his arms come around her and bring her into his embrace, that way they were all cuddled together, like one happy little family. 

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Over the next twenty four hours, Diane and Sam adjust to becoming parents while still in the hospital. Both Diane and Elizabeth had to stay for at least twenty four hours to just to keep an eye on both of them and make sure everything was fine. Sometime after giving birth, the doctor came back in with bassinet for Elizabeth to sleep in that way both Diane and Sam could try to get some rest even though the sun would be out soon. She had even brought in black out curtains so that when the sun rose, the two weren’t disturbed. It was of utmost importance that Diane got as much sleep as she possibly could. It was a good thing she had already beyond exhausted from birth so falling asleep wouldn’t be a challenge.

It took only an hour for Elizabeth to start crying and since Diane didn’t know what cry meant what, she tried   
everything until eventually settling on hunger. Breastfeeding didn’t exactly go as she had planned, Elizabeth refused no matter how hard she tried. So, her doctor brought in a bottle which thankfully worked. Throughout the next several hours that Diane slept, she was woken up a couple more times but Sam always told her that it was fine and for her to sleep. 

It wasn’t until sometime around lunch that Diane was fully awake again and felt ready to take on the day. Of course she was confined to the hospital room until the next morning but at least she would have her two favorite people there to keep her company. As Diane sits up in bed, holding their little girl in her arms while Sam went to get lunch, she hears a knock on the door. When she turns she smiles at the sight of Sam back already. “You’ve got a few people out here wanting to meet our angel” he smiles.

Diane knew exactly who he was talking about, “send them in.”

Moments later in walks Coach, Norm, Cliff, and to Diane’s surprise— Carla. Coach was first to insist on holding Elizabeth and tears up at the sight of her in his arms, “she’s beautiful…” he smiles and looks back up at Diane and Sam, both of which were close to tears themselves. Well, he was close, she already had a few running down her cheeks. She was incredibly happy that Coach was there to see their daughter. 

“What’s her name?” Norm asks as he stands by Coach and peers over the older man’s shoulder as he continues to hold her.

Diane looks up at Sam, nodding that he could tell them. “Elizabeth May Malone.”

“May like…” Carla begins.

Sam nods, “mayday” he says with a smile. 

“That’s wonderful” Coach says before handing Elizabeth off to Sam since he was nearby. 

Sam turns to the rest of their friends and holds Elizabeth close, “anyone else wanna hold her?” His eyes land on Carla as he asks that. She had been one of his closest friends for a long, long time. She was practically like a sister to him. Maybe she didn’t want to hold their kid and that was fine, it was enough that she was there. 

“Oh… sure why not?” Carla says and opens her arms for the baby. 

Sam looks back at Diane who gives him a small smile and a nod. He then gently places their daughter into Carla's arms and smiles as he steps back.

At first she doesn’t say anything but when she does, she says, “wow… Sammy with a kid. I never thought it would happen like this, I always thought it would be one of those women from your little black book.” 

He slightly chuckles, “thank you for the highest of compliments.”

She looks back up at him, “I mean it, I never thought you of all people would be settling down. Not to mention with miss egghead, but I can’t find a reason to be mad about it.” 

That was as good as compliments got with Carla and he knew that so he accepts it with a smile, happy to hear that she did somewhat approve of their relationship. Their relationship hadn’t been entirely perfect but he was happy and now they were only going to be brought closer with Elizabeth being a new addition. It was exciting to see where this would take them. 

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Walking down the stairs, Diane adjusts her nightgown and makes her way into the living room once she’s reached the last step. It was two days later and the two were finally settled back at home. In the living room, she finds Sam sitting on the couch with Elizabeth in her bassinet right next to it. He was watching over her as she slept and the sight made Diane’s heart melt. Coming over to the couch, she takes a seat next to him and wraps an arm around him, “hi” she greets, resting her head on his shoulders 

“Hi sweetheart, enjoy your bath?” he questions. 

Diane nods, she was freshly relaxed and ready for a goodnight’s sleep with him by her side. “It was perfect. How is my little girl?”

“She’s an angel… not a sound since you put her down.” They had rather quickly discovered that while Elizabeth could be fussy at times, she wasn’t a very loud baby. She didn’t cry as much as they both expected and at first it seemed somewhat worrisome but their doctor has assured that it was perfectly normal for some babies not to cry as much as others. Elizabeth just happened to be a more quiet baby. 

Diane brings her hand to his back and rubs it slowly, “and daddy?”

He shrugs, “tired but I’ll be okay.”

She leans in and presses a few kisses to his cheek, “you need to sleep” she says softly. She noticed that he hadn’t been sleeping as much the past two days and it worried her. He didn’t need to be going back to work soon absolutely exhausted. It wasn’t just her sleep schedule that was important.

“It’s just… so unbelievable. I can’t believe she’s real, we made her. She’s so small and I want to do everything I can to make sure she’s safe” Sam admits.

Her hand continues to rub along his back slowly, trying to soothe him so that he’d be somewhat more tired and want to go to bed. “She is safe as long as you’re there, she’s safe. However, you can’t do a whole lot of protecting if you’re sleep deprived my love” she points out. 

A sigh comes from him at that and he nods, knowing she was right. “Alright… I guess I should get some sleep” he agrees.

Diane smiles at that and pulls back, turning him toward her and bringing her lips to his own. It’s a sweet and slow kiss, lasting for only a couple of seconds before she pulls back. She then stands up and carefully takes Elizabeth out of her bassinet. “Come on darling, let’s get to bed.” She then begins to lead the way back to the steps and up them toward their room. Sam was close behind, keeping an eye on his two favorite girls in the world as they go off to their room together for another night of many that they’d be sharing with their daughter by their bed. This was only the beginning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well here it is, the final chapter of this fic. As always, I will be posting an epilogue so **technically** that will be the last part of this fic. Thank you so much for taking your time to read this and feel free to leave a kudos or some feedback. See you all soon with the epilogue <3


	13. Chapter 13

Epilogue 

Ten Years Later

The front door to the Chambers-Malone household opens and in walks their ten year old daughter with bright red cheeks, holding her softball bag in one hand and a water bottle in another. Her red and blue Red Sox shirt was lightly soaked in sweat from the past afternoon she had spent with her father practicing for the upcoming softball game this weekend. Hearing the front door open, Diane pulls herself off the couch and smiles as she sees her daughter walking into the foyer. “Hi princess” she smiles as she walks over.

The blonde haired girl greets her mother with a tired but happy smile, “hi mom.”

Diane pulls Elizabeth into a quick hug before stepping back, “did you have a good time with dad at the field?” she questions as she takes the heavy softball bag out of her daughters hand, which almost knocks the petite blonde down.

Luckily Sam had just walked through the door and laughs as he takes the bag from his wife, “careful sweetheart.”

Diane smiles at the sight of him and quickly turns back to Elizabeth, who answers her question, “dad’s getting better at pitching” she jokes. Her love of sports certainly wasn’t the only thing she picked up from her father. 

A laugh comes from Diane at that, “well that’s good to hear. Why don’t you run along and get all cleaned up? Dinner will be ready any minute.”

Elizabeth nods and heads off for the staircase. Meanwhile, Diane turns back to Sam who was still standing in the foyer waiting to get a moment alone with her. He was a bit more covered in sweat that Elizabeth had been and that makes her laugh again, “looks like she wore you out.” Her arms come around his middle despite that he was all sweaty, it didn’t bother her really. 

He sets down Elizabeth’s softball bag then shrugs, “maybe… but when it’s my own daughter, I don’t mind my ass getting kicked by a ten year old” he jokes as his arms come around her. 

She smiles and shakes her head, “I’m glad you two had a good time.”

“And how about you? How’s everything been here?” Sam and Elizabeth had been gone for most of the day, having left just after lunch.

“Well after you left, Ernie and Jane curled up with me on the couch along with Theo and I did a little reading to them from a few books. Theo didn’t last very long, he was out after two books” she says with a smile as she remembers looking down and seeing her sleeping four year old son on her lap. 

“Can’t say I blame him” he jokes.

“Hey!” she objects and lightly swats his arm. 

Sam laughs, “I’m only kidding… somewhat.”

Diane gives him a stern look causing him to put his hands up in defense, “I’m kidding I promise.”

“You better be, you’re on thin ice mister which means you’re very close to being punished.”

That brings a smug look to his face as his arms come back around her, “oh? and how do you plan on punishing me?”

She steps closer to him in his embraces and smirks, “I think you know, Malone” she says a little quieter and plants her lips on his in a hard and deep kiss, one that’s a promise for more. 

A groan comes from him as she pulls away, breaking the kiss. They didn’t have a whole lot of time to be as intimate as they once were so when moments like these arose, he wanted to take advantage of them. 

A smile comes to her face, “don’t worry” she then grabs his hand and begins to lead him toward the stairs, “I was just going to suggest we go somewhere more private.”

That brings his own smile, “even better” he says and lets her lead the way to their bedroom.

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A little while later, dinner was on the table. Diane and Sam were sitting next to each other as they always did while Jane sat next to Ernie and Theodore and Elizabeth sat on opposite ends. Every night Diane made sure they ate together as a family, because she knew that since both Elizabeth and Ernie were getting older, soon the tradition would end. Both would become busier and would either not be around for dinner or decide to eat at varying times. Elizabeth was ten and Ernie was eight, so they certainly still had time to enjoy nights like these for another few years or so. 

Their family dinners usually consisted of chatting about what the kids had going on in their lives. Elizabeth, Jane, and Diane would go off in their own world for a little while about literature and poetry that Elizabeth was writing. Though once Sam and Ernie got into sports and specifically baseball, it would draw Elizabeth toward them. Jane and Diane would usually carry on as much as they could with Jane only being six. That being said, she was already a bookworm like her sister and mother. She was following in their footsteps and Diane adored that. Theo on the other hand, didn’t have much to say for their dinners, he was only four but he still made dinner enjoyable. Their children were a creative bunch, each one of them, even Ernie had an interest in the arts. He wasn’t as interested in literature as his sisters but rather enjoyed attending the opera and theatre with his mother. She knew each one of them, including Theo who was only beginning to discover what he enjoyed, had bright futures ahead of them. 

Both Diane and Sam were incredibly proud of their children. Sam wasn’t interested in the arts and never would be but he could see the talent each of their children had within them. Of course he certainly favored that Ernie and Elizabeth both took interest in sports as well, his area of expertise. He was trying to get Theo involved but that was still a few years away. Jane on the other hand really had no interest just like Diane, which was something he accepted. A long long time ago he had accepted that Diane would never be interested in sports and it was only right to do that with his daughter as well. 

As dinner comes to a close, the kids all scatter off upstairs in their own directions. Ernie and Jane were off to their toy room, Elizabeth was headed to her bedroom, and Theo held his mother's hand tight as she walked with him upstairs. Sam had offered to do the dishes so that she could read their son bedtime story. 

After getting Theo changed into his pajamas, she smiles as she tucks him in, “did you have a good day today pumpkin?” 

He gives her a wide grin and nods, “yes momma.”

Diane presses a kiss to her son’s forehead and then takes a seat next to him in bed, letting him cuddle close. Grabbing the book off of his bedside table, Diane begins to read from where she had left off. 

It takes a little under fifteen minutes before Theo falls asleep in her lap. Looking down at him, she smiles and takes a moment to enjoy this. She could see how much he resembled Sam, not to the extent Ernie did, as Theo had her features mixed in, but nevertheless the reminder of her husband made her heart that much more full. Careful not to wake him, Diane slowly pulls him off her lap and gently places his head on his pillow. She then slides off the bed and leans down, gently kissing his head. “Goodnight my little prince, sleep tight” she whispers.

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“I really can’t believe it’s been ten years since I had Elizabeth” Diane admits as she and Sam lay on the couch together. He was laying on his back while she laid directly on top of him on her stomach, her head resting on his chest. His arm was resting on her lower back as they cuddled. 

He chuckles, “I know, time really flew by. It seems like just yesterday I was taking you to your first appointment and now here we are… married with four kids.” The pair had married when Elizabeth was about a year old, Sam had proposed not long after her birth. It was a beautiful and small wedding and the best part was having their daughter in it. Norm of course held her as she went down the aisle and during the ceremony but either way, she was still part of it. 

Diane’s mind wanders back to ten years ago, when she first told Sam she was pregnant. He hadn’t handled it very well and she was still with Frasier. Frasier. It’s been a few days since she’s seen him but they had made up. After Elizabeth was born, Diane was determined to make things right with him. He was a good man and she enjoyed having him as a friend. He sometimes still came around the bar and they had finally made up. Sam and Frasier had too and they even invited him to their wedding. She was happy when she saw him in the small crowd, it was confirmation that they had moved on. Now Frasier was married with his own kid, Frederick. His wife, Lilith, was one of Diane’s closest friends so she was even more grateful that they had moved on from their past. 

Her heart aches slightly as she thinks about the wedding again because one very important person wasn’t there, Coach. She had dreamt of having him walk her down the aisle that day but it sadly didn’t happen. He was there for their engagement but had passed a few months after. It was devastating for not only them but the entire bar. Sam had taken it hard, they both did. The months after his death were probably some of their worst: having to juggle their own relationship, taking care of their child, their jobs, and their deteriorating mental health right on top of it all. When Diane had become pregnant again, there was no doubt on what name they wanted to give their son and thus came along Ernie. It was one part of keeping his memory alive. 

“Are you going into Cheers tomorrow?” Diane questions. Sam wasn’t regularly at Cheers as much as he used to be. He did his best, coming in a few times a week, but tried to focus on being with family. He still ran the place and would do work from home every now and then, he just wasn’t around as often. Diane wasn’t a waitress anymore and had quit during the months just after Coach’s death. At the time it had been too hard to be around there without him and too hard to focus on work. She buried herself in taking care of Elizabeth and her writing. The grief had done some good, she published some poems which had done well. Now, she was a part-time author and part-time professor at Boston University. She didn’t know how she juggled the two, her family, and their relationship, but somehow it was working. 

“Yeah, I think I am. I might stop by BU for lunch if you’d like” he suggests.

Diane pulls her head off his chest to look up at him and smiles, “I would love that.”

He smiles too, “then it’s a date.”

She scoots up just a little and presses her lips against his own in a slow, sweet kiss. Pulling away after a few seconds, another smile comes to her face. She was happy, her life was better than she ever could’ve expected it to be. It was funny how the world worked, her unplanned pregnancy with Elizabeth had given them this life. She had given them a second chance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we have it, the final part of this story. I really enjoyed writing this one and I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did. As always, I owe a big thank you to my friend Mayee who helped me throughout this story. Thank you all as well for taking your time to read this.
> 
> I’m unsure of what’s next, as I am feeling somewhat burnt out currently. However you can always find me on twitter @dianesmalone (my main account) or @chambrsmalone (my account specifically for Cheers). I will post on @chambrsmalone any updates on if something new is in the works. Until then, I wish you all the best ❤️


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